Group Interactional Processes: Individual and Group Level Effects

Abstract

Though it is generally held that groups can influence individual behavior and affective responses, the majority of group studies fail to test for such effects. Using data collected at an individual level to make inferences con cerning the effects of group level processes on individual behavior and atti tudes often results in unrecognized inaccuracies. Similarly, operation alizing group constructs through within-group aggregation of individual responses across groups for inferential purposes is also problematic. This article demonstrates a multilevel approach for examining the individual and group level influences of a social interaction variable on various indi vidual outcomes. In doing so, it illustrates a means for simultaneously considering micro and macro organizational phenomena.