Groupthink+II

Groupthink II

Bad decisions: Vietnam Escalation Columbia Shuttle-Groupthink applies here because the engineers in charge of the safety inspections decided that the foam insulation that was shedding was not a large problem and they gave the launch go ahead without fixing the problem first. This didn't work out so well.When the people in charge decided that they were going to contine the mission without the inspections being succesfully passed it was not because they all believed that the shuttle was safe as it was, but because they wanted to agree with the other so that they would not be left out.http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/space/02/01/shuttle.columbia/
 * Rob**-Chernobyl-This is an example of groupthink because the people in charge thought that it would be safe to run with untrained personndl in charge, this casued massive damage because when there was an emergency they did not know the proper procedures to contain the danger.http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/chernobyl/inf07.html

Good decisions: Creation of Israel- When creating Israel the group members did not stop and think about the problems that went along with introducing a new religious group into an area that was dominated by a different religion. They were too worried about just creating a home for jews that they did not think it through properly before putting the decision into action.http://www.meforum.org/article/629 Civil War/WWII battles & stalemates.-These are examples of grouothink because the leaders of the army had to decide on the best course of action, and this means that they all might not have wanted to do something but they had to appease the others who they were working with in order to get anything done. http://www.lbdb.com/TMDisplayWar.cfm?WID=5 Process of Groupthink: Groupthink is a thought that is said to reduce conflict between group members without evaluating ideas. There are symptoms in which lead up to groupthink such as, stereotyping, rationalizing warnings, etc. A series of motives are sometimes existent in order to avoid sounding foolish or becoming embarrassed. Groupthink is sometimes known to cause groups to make irrational decisions in order to set aside certain group members doubts.
 * Heather L**

Groupthink is applied throughout making bad decisions seeing as the goal is to please each member in the group which usually leads to irrational decisions. Vietnam Escalation: Groupthink is applied though the Vietnam Escalation because of men not making decions in fear of it affecting history forever. Chernobyl was the largest nuclear power accident in history. Scientists have stated two main causes for this disaster both being applied to groupthink. The first cause was blamed on the power plant operators because of their lack of safety procedures as well as their lack of knowledge on certain experiments. Columbia Shuttle-The colombia shuttle was a disaster simply because of a small piece of foam breaking away from the shuttle. These actions damaged the shuttles protection system. This event relates to groupthink because certain members of NASA stated that even if their was damage to the shuttle could still operate correctly.

History Students: Describe the above events/their outcome Psych Students: Discuss the process of groupthink, and how it applied (or didn't) in each of the above situations

Em still here: Ok so im going to do the overview/consequences of the bad decisions of Groupthink so the other history person needs to do the good decisions of Groupthink. The Chernobyl incident all began when a No.4 reactor exploded due to poor design by the Soviets and incorrect operation. It marks the only event in history in which there were deaths caused by commercial nuclear power flaws. The explosion happened because the operator actually overrided automatic shutdown mechanisms which inhibited the flow of coolant. This consequently increased the amount of energy being released. The operator attempted to turn off the reactor; however, a flaw in the design caused the radioactive fuel to be ruptured and an immediate explosion occured as a massive surge of steam lifted off the protective cover of the lid. The explosion immediately released the majority of its radioactive contents which led to the death of 28 people in the four months after the incident. However, the accident also released radiation which resulted in many long-term medical problems such as thyroid cancer and birth defects. In order to prevent future radiation, Chernobyl's reactor 4 is enclosed in a containment structure which will be replaced in 2011 by an improved structure. Although the Chernobyl incident was a tragic even, it led to the improved safety and precaution associated with nuclear reactors. http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/chernobyl/inf07.html
 * Emily G** - guys we need to know who is who when putting in information. Add your names in bold before your posts. We get credit according to what C and S read.

Here's some info on the columbia shuttle incident. On February 1, 2003, Columbia was scheduled to arrive back from a mission to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. However, just 15 minutes before its scheduled arrival, the Columbia shuttle was torn to pieces over Texan skies due to a series of malfunctions including loss of temperature sensors on the left wing and increased structural temperatures. Evidence has led to the theory that the cause of the accident was a single piece of foam broke off from the spacecraft and struck the left wing during takeoff. Columbia was first launched in 1981, making it NASA's oldest shuttle. However, on its 28th mission, structural design prohibited the shuttle's correct function leading to a tragic devastation which took the lives of 7 crew members. However, this event taught a lesson on the safety and importance associated with proper inspections and functional design. http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/space/02/01/shuttle.columbia/

The Vietnam Escalation was instigated by poor mistakes based on faulty information. American radars detected objects thought to be torpedo boats in a possible attack in the Gulf of Tonkin on August 4, 1964. Therefore, the Tonkin Gulf Resolution was passed three days later, giving President Johnson the power to use "all necessary measures" to avoid greater conflict. However, this escalation was later known to be based on false information. The supposed "torpedo boats" were actually birds, weather, or American planes. However, over reaction and urge to please American fears caused the Johnson administration to make decisions that further escalated the war. http://www.clemson.edu/caah/history/FacultyPages/EdMoise/tonkbook.htm

Hey ya'll can i get a little more information on the psych part of the bad decisions especially the Vietnam Escalation! And how do you want to do the conclusion? Should we all come up with something for it or do you want to assign it to one person? one more thing i cant think of any titles for my bad decisions slide shows besides groupthink fails so if you have any ideas just let me know!

On May 14, 1948, David Ben-Gurion, the head of the Jewish Agency, proclaimed the establishment of the State of Israel. US President Truman recognized the new nation on the same day. In May 1946, President Truman announced his approval of a recommendation to admit 100,000 displaced persons into Palestine and in October publicly declared his support for the creation of a Jewish state. Throughout 1947, the United Nations Special Commission on Palestine examined the Palestinian question and recommended the partition of Palestine into a Jewish and an Arab state. Although the United Sates backed Resolution 191, the US Department of State recommended the creation of a United Nations trusteeship with limits on Jewish immigration and a division of Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab provinces but not states. The State Department, concerned about the possibility of an increasing Soviet role in the Arab world and the potential for restriction by Arab oil producing nations of oil supplies to the United States, advised against US intervention on behalf of the Jews. Despite the growing conflict between Palestine Arabs and Palestinian Jews and despite the Department of State's endorsement of a trusteeship, Truman ultimately decided to recognize the state Israel. http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/time/cwr/97177.htm
 * Yousuf A**- I am the "other history person" and I am doing the good decisions of Groupthink, so that would be the Creation of Israel.

http://maryasglobalblog.blogspot.com/2007/05/creation-of-israel.html

Powerpoint here: [|groupthink powerpoint.ppt] finished powerpoint that Yousuf send to Ms. Stanford and Ms.Cavanaugh