Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice

Intergroup and interindividual resource competition escalating into conflict: The elimination option.
This experiment addresses the situational influences and decision process that results in the elimination of an opposing group (or individual) during competition over a valued resource. Subjects were told they had done well or poorly on a trivia test, and then performed as individuals, or groups of similar-scoring members, in a multitrial competition against a group or individual with the opposite level of performance. At break points, subjects learned how they were doing relative to the competitor, and were given the chance to take action against the opponent, including elimination from the experiment. Results suggest that groups are faster to eliminate the opposition than are individuals, and that the advantaged (i.e., group/individual currently winning the competition) are more likely to eliminate the opposition than are the disadvantaged. This is consistent with previous theorizing and real-world situations of intergroup competition over valued resources that result in violence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)
Individual and group process variables that affect social support in counseling groups.
Social support is an important construct in people's lives and in group counseling. The purpose of this study was to explore the associations among the individual's attachment style, group process variables (climate and bonding), and objectively documented supportive behavior in counseling groups, as well as their impact on change in members' perceived social support. Participants were 178 university students in 14 counseling groups of a supportive-expressive type. Support behavior was analyzed by the Social Support Behavior Code (Suhr, 1990) based on transcripts of all sessions. In addition, participants completed questionnaires pertaining to attachment style, group climate, bonding, and perceived social support. Results found attachment to be the strongest predictor of the observed provision and receipt of social support. It was also associated with group climate variables and with perceived social support. Negative behavior was also associated with group climate variables. However, observed group support was not associated with perceived social support, and no change was found in perceived support following treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)
Participation matters: Psychological and behavioral consequences of information exclusion in groups.
Being out of the loop, or uninformed of information mutually known by others, is a common occurrence with potentially negative consequences. We manipulated whether participants experienced being in or out of the loop during a group problem-solving task. Compared to participants who were in the loop and able to contribute to the task, participants who experienced being out of the loop reported thwarted fundamental needs, decreased mood, reduced competence, and less liking of group members. Additionally, out-of-the-loop group members participated less. Mediation analyses showed that perceived participation accounted for the aforementioned deleterious effects for all dependent measures. Analyses of interaction content demonstrated that out-of-the-loop participants had relatively more positive experiences to the extent that they asked for suggestions and gave opinions and did not need to ask others for information or their opinions. Our results have implications for a variety of group settings and draw attention to even seemingly innocuous forms of everyday ostracism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)
Amount and consistency, two components of group norms: An actor partner interdependence analysis of intimate behaviors in groups.
This study presents a new conceptualization of behavioral norms as consisting of two components: the average amount of a target behavior exhibited in a group and the consistency of this behavior across group members. Using this conceptualization, we examined the relationship between group behavioral norms regarding intimate behaviors and individual group members' intimate behaviors in two types of groups: interpersonal growth groups and trauma recovery groups. Specifically, we used the actor-partner interdependence model (APIM; Kenny, Kashy, Manetti, Piero, & Livi, 2002) to examine the relationships between an individual group member's amount of intimate behaviors (i.e., the actor effect), the amount (i.e., group mean) and consistency (i.e., SD) of intimate behaviors of the other group members in both the previous and current sessions (i.e., the partner effects), the interaction of the amount and consistency of the group's previous and current intimate behaviors, and the amount of intimate behaviors exhibited by the individual group member in the current session. A hierarchical linear modeling analysis revealed that an individual group member's previous amount of intimate behaviors was positively related to her or his amount of intimate behaviors in the current session. Also, there was a significant interaction for the two components of the partner effect in the current session (i.e., group amount and consistency of intimate behaviors in the current session) such that when the consistency of intimate behaviors of the other group members was low, there was a significant, negative relationship between group amount of intimate behaviors and the individuals group member's intimate behaviors in a session. When consistency was high, however, this relationship was not significant. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)
Intragroup cooperation as a function of group performance and group identity.
On the basis of prior research, group failure on a task was expected to adversely affect cooperative responses to a subsequent social dilemma. However, from social identity theory, it was predicted that this effect would be moderated by strength of group identity. I experimentally manipulated the extent to which participants (48 four-person groups) developed a relatively strong or weak group identity and succeeded or failed on an intellective task. As hypothesized, a strong group identity mitigated the adverse consequences of collective failure. Mediation analyses determined that the effects of group identity were a function of two independent processes: normative expectations of cooperation by others and increased concern for the group's welfare relative to purely selfish concerns. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)
Team size and quality of group experience: The more the merrier?
In this study we investigated the relationship between team size and quality of group experience as well as the mediating role of counterproductive behaviors. The study was conducted among a sample of 97 work teams from a public safety organization. The results support the negative relationship between team size and quality of group experience. In addition, each of the 4 categories of counterproductive behaviors (i.e., parasitism, interpersonal aggression, boastfulness, and misuse of resources) plays a mediating role in this relationship. This study shows the importance for managers to avoid creating overly large teams, at the risk of fostering the adoption of counterproductive behaviors and adversely affecting the quality of life at work within teams. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)

Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice - Vol 15, Iss 4