Group identity is a critical component in developing effective classroom management. While there have been numerous studies on group identity, they have primarily focused on its effects on the physical classroom entity. Advances in information technology, however, have enabled the creation of virtual communities, which have become a vital channel…

Because inequality is one of the central concerns of sociologists, it has been addressed, in various ways, by virtually all of the major traditions of sociological social psychology--social structure and personality, symbolic interactionism, and group processes. For those who work in the social structure and personality tradition, inequality…

How effective are rewards (for cooperation) and punishment (for noncooperation) as tools to promote cooperation in social dilemmas or situations when immediate self-interest and longer term collective interest conflict? What variables can promote the impact of these incentives? Although such questions have been examined, social and behavioral…

The study of group processes has benefited from longstanding programs of theory-driven research on status and power. The present work constructs a bridge between two formal theories of status and power: Status Characteristics Theory and Network Exchange Theory. Two theoretical models, one for "status value" and one for "status influence,"…

Presents an expectancy model of coalition membership addressing inducements, contributions, and exchange in coalitions. Discusses how concepts and considerations both addressed and ignored in past work are accommodated by the model. Gives a number of practical implications of the model by focusing on interventions into client systems. (Author/RC)

Uses social exchange theory to examine the process by which employees are dismissed from organizations. Examines interview data from an exploratory study that suggests managers are influenced by information from group members as they calculate a cost-benefit ratio for the employer-employee relationship. Indicates a progression of communication…

Establishing a human resource development (HRD) program for HRD practitioners frequently results in problems of organizational change. The author has applied the theories of three contemporary sociologists--Talcott Parsons, Lewis Coser, and Peter Blau--to a hypothetical case study of an HRD consulting firm faced with developing its own human…

Describes a group exercise based on the idea that people implicitly attempt to elicit (or pull) certain reactions from people in their everyday lives. Emphasizes the potential for adapting such an exercise to a variety of purposes. (Author)

This game focuses on techniques for identifying coalitions or subgroups within larger social systems; and generates a wealth of data that not only serve to dramatize social dynamics, but also can be used to identify the structure of coalitions and the degree to which particular individuals exert interpersonal influence. (Author/CMV)

Examines ways of modifying incremental influence. Results suggest that referent power can be altered by affecting the interpersonal attraction of group members. Implications for organizational intervention and practice are discussed, and some possible modifications to the theoretical framework of power are advanced. (Author)

Face-to-face discussion has been shown to increase cooperation behavior in social dilemmas. Two general explanations of this effect were tested: group identity and perception of consensus. Female undergraduate students (N=160) participated in four-person groups in one of four experimental conditions. Findings indicate the most plausible…

Presents an analysis of faculty dynamics in nursing curriculum situations based on the social theories of conflict, community power, and interest-group to form a political model representing stages in policy development. These stages are applied to curriculum change examples to show how social conflict and power plays cause problems. (MF)