Group Structure and Group Membership (8C) Practice Test

At a family gathering, a group of cousins who see each other often sit together and coordinate plans for a shared activity. Another cousin who rarely attends family events sits nearby but is not included in the planning conversation until someone explicitly invites them. After being invited, the cousin participates more and appears more comfortable. Based on the scenario, how does group membership most directly affect social interaction?

In a workplace team, a new employee joins an established group that routinely eats lunch together. The group has an unspoken norm of discussing ongoing projects informally during lunch. The new employee declines invitations for the first week to finish onboarding tasks, then later finds it harder to follow project updates and feels less connected to the team. Based on the scenario, how does group membership most directly affect the new employee’s integration?