Lessons from developmental science to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 restrictions on social development

Employees may continue to work remotely for a substantial amount of time, even after the end of the pandemic. Our established theories of group processes and intergroup relations can help us understand these new ways of working and online group experiences. However, there are key differences in computer-mediated and face-to-face (FtF) groups. In this essay, I present some of the extant robust theories and findings from computer communication research to understand virtual working within online groups. These perspectives include that group processes develop over a longer period of time as compared to FtF, informal communication is neglected, computer-mediated groups have some advantages over FtF groups, sociomateriality is a useful theoretical lens, and dispersion affects group member cognitions about each other. I use my own lab’s work on entitativity as an example of how moving from FtF to online group research can deepen our understanding of both FtF and online groups. The essay concludes with recommendations for future research.

Section: Theoretical Perspectives On Online Group Interactionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of COVID-19 on virtual working within online groups

Blanchard

2021

“…The pandemic has also had a significant, and potentially lasting, impact on younger generations. Cameron and Tenenbaum (2021) discuss the impact of the pandemic on children's social development, stressing the impact that prolonged separation from peers may have on the development of social, emotional and cognitive skills. A silver lining highlighted by Cameron and Tenenbaum (2021) is the potential of online communication tools that allow children to interact with others their own age and form and sustain friendships with minimal adult interference.…”

Section: Impact On Societiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…First, we explore impact on societies, examining the evolution of intergroup processes during the pandemic (Abrams et al, 2021), the crucial role of leadership in helping societies navigate ambiguity and crisis (Antonakis, 2021), social connectedness and new collective behaviors (Templeton, 2021), the social psychological processes that shape differences between societies in responses to threat (Kashima et al, 2021), and the impact of lockdown restrictions on children's social development (Cameron & Tenenbaum, 2021).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Social attitudes and behavior in the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence and prospects from research on group processes and intergroup relations

Krings

Steeden

Abrams

et al. 2021

The impact of COVID-19 on our way of life is yet to be fully understood. However, social psychology theory and research offer insights into its effect on social attitudes and behaviors, and here we gather the views of a unique group of experts in group processes and intergroup relations. Group processes and intergroup relations are major factors in social resilience and change arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. This special issue was developed to foreground the crucial role of group processes and intergroup relations in the COVID-19 pandemic. This article provides an overview of the areas explored in the special issue. First, we focus on the impact on societies, covering the evolution of intergroup processes during the pandemic, leadership, social connectedness, cultural differences in responses, and social development. Second, we turn to intergroup inequality and focus on gender inequality, ageism, xenophobia, and racial bias during COVID-19. Third, we explore worldviews during the pandemic, specifically conspiracy theories, science skepticism, and existential threat. Finally, we focus on the pandemic’s impact on behaviors, covering virtual working, social activism, virtual ostracism, and conformity and deviance. We finish with a discussion of the value of social psychology in helping us understand the impact of COVID-19 on social attitudes and behavior. As this special issue shows, group processes and intergroup relations are central to the ways that individuals and society is dealing with the challenges of this pandemic.

“…Ostracism studies find that even minimal cues of reduced eye contact meaningfully trigger feelings of ostracism and threats to basic needs (Wesselmann et al, 2012;Wirth et al, 2010). Moreover, social media use itself has been linked to poor mental health (Shakya & Christakis, 2017), and algorithmically provides customized news information that can often be polarizing (e.g., Brady et al, 2017) which could accelerate the path to extremism described above (see also Cameron and Tenenbaum [2021] for further discussion of this in light of the social development of younger generations).…”

Section: Reasons For Concernmentioning

confidence: 99%

Navigating COVID-19: Insights from research on social ostracism

Hales

Wood

Williams

2021

The COVID-19 pandemic and associated social distancing and lockdowns has caused unprecedented changes to social life. We consider the possible implications of these changes for mental health. Drawing from research on social ostracism emphasizing the importance of social connection for mental well-being, there is reason for concern regarding the mental health effects of the crisis. However, there are also reasons for optimism; people can be surprisingly resilient to stressful situations, the impact of ostracism tends to depend on social norms (which are rapidly changing), and mental health depends primarily on having at least one or two close social connections. Given the scale and unprecedented nature of the social disruption that occurred, we see strong reason for concern, but not despair.