To be used in conjunction with the Midterm study guide for preparing for the comprehensive final examination.
1. You have been hired by a major corporation to help restructure its decision making and problem solving processes. Some of the committees you will deal with are involved in long range planning, some deal with personnel hiring, and some with engineering problems. What analytic social decision schemes would you expect each group to follow? How would the size of each group affect it's decision process? How would the pattern of communication among each group's members affect the decision process?
2. In your readings (Cialdini) and in class, we discussed a variety of social influence techniques that are used by cults, dictators, and salesmen. Present an organized list of these techniques, define them, and give an example of each. You may wish to follow the chapter structure used by Cialdini.
3. The psychology of mass movements and crowd behavior is relatively under-developed. One of the few theoretical ideas that has received considerable attention is that of deindividuation. Discuss what is meant by "deindividuation" and the evidence for the existence of this phenomenon.
4. List and define the main theoretical approaches to understanding crowd behavior.
5. In the text and in class we discussed strategies of social conflict. List these strategies. According to the "dual concern" and "perceived feasibility" models, what factors determine when each strategy is used?
6. In the text and in class we discussed the role of third parties in resolving social conflict. Based on the readings and class discussion, define the roles that a third party can take and state under what conditions different mediation strategies are likely to be successful.
7. What is the difference between a social fence and a social trap? Define and give an example of each. How can social dilemmas be solved? Is communication an effective remedy? Under what conditions?
8. In class and in the text consistency, exchange, and information/uncertainty reduction theories were discussed. Briefly describe at least two theories or research studies from each approach.
9. What are reference groups and membership groups? What effect do they have on people's attitudes? Be sure to discuss the relevant research in your answer.
10. What are the effects of group size on conformity pressure? Be sure to discuss the relevant research in your answer.
11. What are social facilitation and social loafing. Describe the theories and research concerning why each occurs.