Behaviour in Groups

Abstract

Many of the most famous and influential studies in social psychology have focused on, or at least been set within the context of, ‘people in groups’. For example, Sherif (1956) and Tajfel (1970) (both in this volume) examined the issue of inter-group conflict; Asch (1955) (also in this volume) studied the effects that a group can have on the behaviour of its individual members; Moscovici, Lage & Naffrechoux (1969) investigated the phenomenon of ‘minority influence’; and Lewin et al. (1939) and Fiedler (1967) analysed group leadership. The emphasis within social psychology on groups is welcome, because being in groups is such a fundamental feature of our social lives.