Research on groups has been a major focus of concern among psychologists and sociologists for many years. The study of groups certainly deserves a central role in these disciplines since much of our behavior occurs in groups and many important social phenomena involve groups. Issues such as leadership, conformity, group decision-making, group task performance, and coalition formation have had a long history of research. However, recently a number of other areas of research have blossomed that provide interesting new perspectives on group processes (e.g., social impact). In addition, topics of research have developed outside the commonly ac cepted domain of group dynamics (e.g., self-disclosure) which seem to be concerned with rather basic group processes. Basic Group Processes was designed to bring together in one volume a repre sentative sample of the broad range of work currently being done in the area of groups. Some of the chapters provide a review of the literature while others focus more specifically on current programs of research. All, however, provide new insights into basic group processes and a number provide broad integrative schemes. All of the authors were asked to emphasize theoretical issues rather than a detailed presenta tion of research. Basic Group Processes suggests that research on groups is a lively enterprise and forging interesting new theoretical and empirical directions.

Inhalt

1. Introduction.- 1. Social Influence Processes in Groups.- 2. Leadership Theory and Research: A Systems-Process Integration.- Brief History.- Current Research and Theory.- Integrative Systems/Process Model.- 3. Minority Influence.- Two Social Influence Models.- Impact of Behavioral Style.- Why is Minority Consistency Effective?.- Minority Image.- Consistency and Uniformity Pressures.- Conclusion.- 4. Group Discussion and Judgment.- Group Discussion and Individual Judgment.- Normative and Informational Influence.- Mechanism for Informational Influence.- Group Decision Rules.- Summary.- 2. Group Influence on Task Performance and Informational Processing.- 5. Group Influence on Individual Task Performance.- Social Facilitation.- Group Size and Crowding.- Social Loafing.- Integrative Model.- Evaluation of the Cognitive-Motivational Model.- Conclusions.- 6. The Impact of Personal Equity Processes on Performance in a Group Setting.- Personal Equity Theory.- Task Performance: Willingness and Capability.- Social Facilitation: Audience and Coaction Paradigms.- Processing Strategies.- A Comparison Between an Analysis of Personal Equity Processes and Other Theoretical Perspectives.- Conclusion.- 7. Social Context Effects in Persuasion: The Effects of Multiple Sources and Multiple Targets.- Division of Impact.- Multiplication of Impact.- General Discussion.- 3. Exchange Processes in Groups.- 8. Coalition Formation: A Social Psychological Approach.- Classification of Coalition Situations.- Theories of Coalition Formation.- General Evaluation of Theories.- Summary and Conclusions.- 9. The Influence of Communication on Bargaining.- Bargaining.- Communication.- Communication Dilemmas.- Bargaining Research Paradigms.- Communication and Bargaining.- Conclusion.- 10. Procedural Justice, Participation, and the Fair Process Effect in Groups and Organizations.- Participation in Organizational Contexts.- Participation in the Form of Choice.- Participation in the Form of Voice.- Limiting Conditions of the Fair Process Effect.- Conclusion.- 4. Interaction in Groups.- 11. Loneliness, Sex-Role Orientation, and Group Life: A Social Needs Perspective.- Current Conceptions of Loneliness.- Social Provisions of Group Life.- Parallels Between the Provision Dimensions and Masculine and Feminine Social Styles.- Group Phenomena Viewed from a Social Needs Perspective.- Summary, Conclusions, and Future Directions.- 12. The Interpersonal Orientations of Disclosure.- The Self-Disclosure Tradition.- Traditional Role of Communication in Groups.- Relationships: Where the Self Joins the Group.- The Uses of Disclosure.- Orienting Disclosure to Group Processes.- 13. Influences of Past Relationships on Subsequent Ones.- Toman's "Family Constellation" Theory.- A Test of Competing Predictions.- Theoretical Implications.- Speculations and Directions for Future Research.- Conclusions.- Author Index.