Chapter 3 Inclusion and Identity Just as researchers in the natural sciences use exacting procedures to study aspects of the physical environment, so do group researchers use scientific methods to further their understanding of groups. They measure as precisely as possible group processes, develop theories that provide coherent explanations for the group phenomenon they study, and collect evidence to test the adequacy of their predictions and assumptions.  What are the three critical requirements of a scientific approach to the study of groups?  How do researchers measure group processes?  What are the key characteristics of and differences between case, experimental, and correlational studies of group processes?  What are the strengths and weaknesses of case, experimental, and correlational methods?  What theoretical perspectives guide researchers’ studies of groups? 2 Studying Groups

Measure- ment ObservationSelf-report Research Methods Case StudiesExperiments Correlational Studies Issues Theoretical Perspectives Motivation & EmotionBehavioralSystemsCognitiveBiological 2 Studying Groups

What Are the Three Critical Requirements of a Scientific Study of Groups? Reliable and valid measurement Research procedures to test hypotheses about groups Theories that organize knowledge of groups

 William Foote White’s study of “corner boys” in Street Corner Society  Types: Overt Covert Participant Measurement Observation

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Types: Qualitative vs. Quantitative (structured) Example: Robert Freed Bales Interaction Process Analysis system Measurement Observation

Self-report measures: group members describe their perceptions and experiences Example: Moreno's sociometry method In Out A Sociogram Measurement Self-report

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Research Methods Case StudiesExperimentsCorrelational StudiesIssues

Case Studies Research Methods An in-depth analysis of one or more groups based on interviews, observation, analysis of archival documents, and so on. Example: Irving Janis’s analysis of groupthink

Case Studies Research Methods Other examples

Research Methods Experiments Key Ingredients: Manipulate one or more independent variables Measure one or more dependent variables Control other variables, as much as possible Example: Lewin, Lippitt, & White’s leadership study Strength: Causal inference

Research Methods Correlational Studies Key Ingredients: Measure two or more variables Assess the strength of the relationship between the variables Example: Newcomb’s Bennington Study Called “correlational” studies because the findings are often expressed in the form of a correlational coefficient

Key Characteristics of, and Differences Between Case, Experimental, and Correlational Studies of Group Processes  Case studies: atypical of most groups, subjective, stimulate theory  Experiments: too artificial, not “real” groups, but clearest test of cause and effect  Correlational studies: limited information about causality but precise estimates of the strength of relationships, less artificial, fewer ethical concerns Issues

Measure- ment ObservationSelf-report Research Methods Case StudiesExperiments Correlational Studies Issues Theoretical Perspectives Motivation & EmotionBehavioralSystemsCognitiveBiological Studying Groups

Theoretical Perspectives Behavioral Example: Social exchange theory Satisfaction Level Satisfaction Level Quality of Alternatives Investment Size Commitment Level Stay?

Theoretical Perspectives Systems Example: Input- Process-Output Model of Group Performance

Theoretical Perspectives Cognitive Example: Group Referent Effect The relationship between perceptional/ inferential processes and group-level processes

Theoretical Perspectives Biological Brain regions recruited during social rejection Biological perspectives, such as evolutionary theory, argue that some group behaviors may be rooted in physiological and neurological processes. Anterior insula

Measure- ment ObservationSelf-report Research Methods Case StudiesExperiments Correlational Studies Issues Theoretical Perspectives Motivation & EmotionBehavioralSystemsCognitiveBiological Chapter 2: Studying Groups 20