Question

MCAT Mini-Tutorial: Social Influences on Behavior

Answer 1

\({\bf{Social~Facilitation:}}\) the presence of others can either positively or negatively impact one's performance on a task, depending on how difficult the task is
> for easy, familiar tasks, having others around can improve concentration and awareness
> for difficult, unfamiliar tasks, having others around can cause nervousness

\({\bf{Deindividuation:}}\) the loss of identity/individuality when an individual joins a group; individuals may act in ways that are contrary to their beliefs
- anonymity: an individual is not personally tied to their actions
- diffusion of responsibility: an individual can attribute their actions to the group rather than themselves

\({\bf{Bystander~Effect:}}\) an individual is less likely to intervene in a problematic situation because they assume somebody else will intervene first; increases with the size of the group

\({\bf{Social~Loafing:}}\) an individual does not work as hard in a group than they might alone, will assume others will pick up the slack, under-estimate how much their own actions will contribute to the group's success

\({\bf{Peer~Pressure:}}\) an individual will be influenced by how others perceive them, either positively or negatively; can be influenced to act contrary to their personal value system if it will result in peer approval

\({\bf{Group~Polarization:}}\) the general consensus of a group is more extreme than the opinions of any individual
- those with more extreme opinions get heard and overshadow those with more moderate opinions
- people may exaggerate their own beliefs/attitudes to better align with more extreme opinions

\({\bf{Groupthink:}}\) a group may make bad decisions because they put conformity to the group above rationality and safety
factors:
1. dismissing/punishing/censoring those with different opinions
2. emphasizing group unity at all costs
3. group belief that they are doing the right thing
4. group belief that they are immune to consequences

ways to combat groupthink:
1. actively encourage discussing different viewpoints
2. be open to outside opinions
3. separation of the group into smaller subunits
4. anonymous evaluation/voting

Answer 2

Anyway, that's the end of my tutorial, I hope it was a helpful resource. Source material is the 2nd Edition Barron's Prep book for the new MCAT