Ecology of a group
- Group ecology
- Ambience
- Features of the environment (e.g., extremes in temperatures and noise, dangerousness) can
induce stress in groups and undermine performance.
Group ecology
how individuals and groups interact with and adapt to the group’s habitat.
Ambience
sychological reaction (mood, feelings, emotions) evoked by a setting.
- Russel: people’s affective reactions range from positive-negative and activating-
relaxed. People prefer positive, stimulating environments, but excessive stimulation
can lead to overload. - Kaplan: attention restoration theory = situations that require directed attention can
deplete cognitive resources that can be replenished by certain types of places.
Van de Vliert: climato-economic theory
cultures that exist in places with harsh
climates cope by developing economically if wealthy and by becoming more
collectivistic if not wealthy.
Determinants of spatial relations in a group:
Personal space
Density
Sommer: sociopetal spaces (= environmental settings that promote interaction among group
members) encourage interaction, whereas sociofugal spaces (= environmental settings that
discourage or prevent interaction among group members).
Seating arrangements significantly influence patterns of attraction, communication, and
leadership.
Personal space
group members prefer to keep a certain distance between themselves and
others.
- Hall: four types of zones: (1) Intimate zone, (2) Personal zone, (3) Social zone, and (4)
Public zone. Online groups meet in the remote zone. - Spacing in groups in influenced by sex, status, and cultural background of the group
members. - Equilibrium model of communication = explanation of distancing behavior in
interpersonal settings arguing that the amount of eye contact and the intimacy of the
topic influence the amount of personal space required by group members. - Burgoon: Expectancy violations model = identifies the types of messages that
distance can signal.
Density
the number of people per unit of space.
- Crowding = when individuals feel that the amount of space available to them is
insufficient for their needs. Crowding is worsened by the following factors:
- Cognitive processes that prompt individuals to make attributions about the
causes of their arousal. - Group members’ overall evaluation of the high-density setting: density-
intensity hypothesis = high density makes unpleasant situations more
unpleasant but pleasant situations more pleasant. - Perceptions of control.
- Degree to which others interfere with task performance.
The Steinzor effect
tendency for group members to comment immediately after
the person sitting opposite them.
Head-of-the-table effect
tendency for group members to associate the leadership
role with the seat located at the head of the table.
Burgoon: Expectancy violations model
identifies the types of messages that
distance can signal.
Equilibrium model of communication
explanation of distancing behavior in
interpersonal settings arguing that the amount of eye contact and the intimacy of the
topic influence the amount of personal space required by group members.
Crowding
when individuals feel that the amount of space available to them is
insufficient for their needs. Crowding is worsened by the following factors:
density-
intensity hypothesis
high density makes unpleasant situations more
unpleasant but pleasant situations more pleasant.
Sommer: sociopetal spaces
environmental settings that promote interaction among group
members
sociofugal spaces
= environmental settings that
discourage or prevent interaction among group members
Equilibrium model of communication
explanation of distancing behavior in
interpersonal settings arguing that the amount of eye contact and the intimacy of the
topic influence the amount of personal space required by group members.
Burgoon: Expectancy violations model
identifies the types of messages that
distance can signal.
Causes and consequences of a group’s tendency to establish territories:
-Animals and humans establish territories = geographical locations that an individual/group
defends against intrusion by others.
- Individual members establish personal territories within the group’s territory.
territories
geographical locations that an individual/group
defends against intrusion by others.
Altman: territories he distinguishes between:
1) Primary territories = areas that are maintained
and used exclusively by individuals or groups, (2) Secondary territories = areas that
are not owned by the group members, but because the members use such an area
regularly, they come to consider it as theirs (e.g., seats in college classes), and (3)
Public territories = occupants can prevent intrusion while they are physically present,
but they relinquish all claims when they leave (e.g., public bathrooms).
Group space
a temporary spatial boundary that forms around interacting groups
and serves as a barrier to unwanted intrusion by non-members.
Home advantage
tendency for individuals and groups to gain an advantage over
others when interacting in their home territory
Barker: behavior is determined by the behavior setting
a physically and temporally
bounded social situation that determines the actions of the individuals in the setting.
synomorphy
the quality of fit between the human
occupants and the physical situation
