A study investigated the relationship between teaching style and group conflict within the small instructional group. The conjecture was that the transactional teaching style is associated with more positive resolutions to group conflict than either the nomothetic or idiographic style. Research was conducted on 10 instructional groups within the…

Critics of a dominant model of the person, which emphasizes autonomy and independence, have called for an alternative, more social, conceptualization of the self. To describe and validate social individuality as an alternative conceptualization of the self, 84 adults (54 females, 30 males), from a range of social classes and including persons…

This paper analyzes role transitions in small groups within the context of a more general model of group socialization that is based on the psychological processes of evaluation, commitment, and decision making. The major advantage of such an approach is that it specifies why role transitions in small groups occur. According to the model, groups…

Analyzes sensitivity training and problem-solving discussion groups by examining the group goals, feedback processes, developmental tendencies and leadership qualities. Focus points for future research are suggested. (MH)

Describes an experiment in which the relationship between verbal utterances and communication structures are examined within a group structure. (Text is in French.) (AM)

This pamphlet on understanding how groups work is the fourth of 16 in a series to provide leaders in adult activities with sound introductory material to give practical help in using a method of adult education or working in a particular area. Its objective is to help leaders learn about group behavior. Eight articles and how-tos are included.…

The phenomenon of crowd behavior at sports events is examined in this paper. Previous treatments of why spectators enjoy watching sports events are examined, showing that these studies have largely ignored the potential role of intraaudience influence processes. A brief literature review notes the role of feedback between the communication event…

Frustration has been primarily investigated in relation to aggressive behaviors, but may elicit other behaviors depending on the responses available to the individual. To test the effects of task frustration and task success on subsequent group behavior, college women (N=80) were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: task success, task…

The role of a group facilitator implies observation of the group's interaction and intervention based on these observations within the group. This paper discusses the need for a facilitator to operate from a theoretical frame of reference in group settings that also provides a systematic method of observation. The author discusses category systems…

The development of self-disclosure within an acquaintance exercise was examined. A sample of 80 subjects was assigned to same-sex or mixed-sex dyads. In half of the dyads, one member was asked, through a short statement in the written instructions, to encourage maximal disclosure in his/her partner. Dyad partners took turns discussing…

The present study investigated how type of interaction between groups affects intergroup hostility and how this intergroup hostility may be reduced. In the first phase of the study groups were led to believe that they were either competing, cooperating, or having no interaction with a second group. The results indicated that competition led to the…

One of the more interesting facets of the philosophy of science today is the stress placed on the sociology of knowledge. People have slowly come to realize that knowledge is to a great extent conditioned by the ambience, the social milieu in which it exists. In the present paper, an attempt is made to draw a miniature socio-profile of the field…