Lecture Exercise #9
Lecture Exercise #9 – Please submit your responses to the following questions using the drop box below. This assignment is worth 4% of your final grade. Comment on each of the issues listed below. Full marks will be given for thorough responses that explain your thoughts and beliefs about the topics.
1. Impressions of How Groups Function.
Report on your experience in extracurricular activity groups. You may want to comment on such things as: group norms, polarization effects, social loafing, social facilitation, conflict resolution, etc. Also, you could consider attending a meeting of a group of which you are not currently a member so that you can observe the group’s functioning. By observing a group of which you are not a member, you may be better able to gain insight into the group. Write down your impressions of the group.
2. What Effect Do Winning and Losing Have on Fans?
Researchers have found that some sports fans identify so closely with their favourite team that game outcomes can bolster or damage their self-esteem and even (in males) affect their testosterone levels. For example, Cialdini et al. (1976) found that college students were more likely to wear clothes with their school’s logo after their team won. This “basking in reflected glory” helps to enhance students’ self- and public image. In another study, Hirt et al. (1992) found that highly identified fans were more optimistic about their chances of dating an attractive stranger after their team’s victory than they were after their team’s defeat. As for what factors appear to influence identification with a sports team, Wann et al. (1996) found that the success of the team, proximity of the team, the players, and affiliation factors were most important.
Discuss the possible reasons for having total allegiance to a sports team and what impact such allegiance can have. This strong sense of belonging could explain hooliganism (often soccer), and why some fans remain faithful to perennial losing teams (like the Chicago Cubs).
Cialdini, R. B., et al. (1976). Basking in reflected glory: Three field studies. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 39, 406-415.
Hirt, E. R. et al. (1992). Costs and benefits of allegiance: Changes in fans’ self-ascribed comptetencies after team victory versus defeat. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 63, 724-738.
Wann, D. L., Tucker, K. B., & Schrader, M. P. (1996). An exploratory examination of the factors influencing the origination, continuation, and cessation of identification with sports teams. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 82, 995-1001.
