Social Loafing Theory

• What is social loafing in psychology?

  It refers to individuals exerting less effort in a group task than when working alone.
• Why does social loafing occur?

  It often occurs due to perceived reduced accountability and shared responsibility.
• In what type of tasks is social loafing more evident?

  In tasks where contributions are combined into a group outcome.
• How can social loafing affect productivity in workplaces?

  It can lead to reduced productivity when individuals do not put in their full effort.
• What factors influence social loafing?

  Expectations of co-worker performance, task meaningfulness, and culture.
• What does the Collective Effort Model (CEM) suggest about social loafing?

  It suggests that social loafing depends on members’ expectations for and value of the group’s goal.
• What is the Ringelmann effect?

  • A phenomenon where individuals exert less effort in groups.
  • Named after Max Ringelmann, who studied group performance.
  • Groups do not meet their potential output.
• Who first identified social loafing?

  Max Ringelmann.
• What did Ringelmann find in his rope-pulling experiment?

  Groups pulled less than the sum of their individual potential.
• What are the two sources attributed to social loafing by Ringelmann?

  Coordination losses and motivation losses.
• If two individuals can pull 100 units separately, how much would they pull together according to Ringelmann's findings?

  186 units.
• What does the social compensation hypothesis state?

  People work harder collectively than individually when they expect co-workers to perform poorly.
• What is evaluation potential in the context of social loafing?

  It refers to the inability to evaluate individual contributions in a group.
• How does Social Impact Theory explain social loafing?

  It suggests that social influence is diffused across group members, reducing individual effort.
• What does self-attention theory propose about social loafing?

  It proposes that self-awareness declines during group tasks, leading to less effort.
• What does arousal reduction theory state regarding social loafing?

  It states that motivation decreases when individuals work collectively due to reduced drive.
• What are the key elements of the Collective Effort Model (CEM)?

  • Expectations regarding ability to reach the goal.
  • Value assigned to the goal.
  • High expectations and high value increase motivation.
  • Low expectations or low value decrease motivation.
• What did Karau and Williams's meta-analysis find about social loafing?

  It found that social loafing is moderate in magnitude and generalizable across tasks.
• How do variables like evaluation potential and task valence affect social loafing according to CEM?

  They moderate social loafing effects as predicted by the CEM.
• What happens to motivation when individuals have low expectations in a group setting?

  Motivation tends to be low since individuals cannot predict the group's outcome.
• What is task valence in the context of social loafing?

  It refers to the intrinsic "good"-ness or "bad"-ness of the task.
• What are the implications of social loafing in group settings?

  • Reduced individual effort in group tasks.
  • Potential decrease in overall productivity.
  • Importance of managing group dynamics to enhance performance.
• What are the two key elements that determine individuals' levels of motivation in a group?

  Expectations regarding their ability to reach the goal and the value they assign to the goal
• How does motivation change when individuals have high expectations and high value for the goal?

  Motivation increases
• What happens to motivation when either expectations or the value for the goal is diminished?

  Motivation is reduced
• Why do individuals' expectations tend to be low in groups?

  Because one individual often cannot predict the outcome of the entire group
• What does the CEM explain about motivation in groups?

  It explains why motivation is low when expectations and value for the goal are diminished
• What did Karau and Williams's meta-analysis find regarding social loafing effects?

  Variables such as evaluation potential, task valence, expectations of co-worker performance, and group size moderated social loafing effects
• How does task valence relate to social loafing according to the findings?

  The tendency to engage in social loafing decreased as task valence increased
• What implications does the CEM support according to the studies mentioned?

  Loafing was greater among men than women, in Western countries compared to Eastern ones, and for simple tasks rather than complex ones
• What methods can be utilized to reduce social loafing within groups?

  • Establish individual accountability
  • Minimize free riding
  • Encourage team loyalty
  • Assign distinct responsibilities for each team member
• How does establishing individual accountability affect group productivity?

  It increases group productivity
• What is the effect of increasing identifiability on social loafing?

  It tends to decrease social loafing
• What does free riding refer to in the context of social loafing?

  Situations where group members exert less effort because others will compensate for them
• How can minimizing free riding decrease social loafing?

  When group members cannot free ride, they feel more responsibility
• Why is it important to assign distinct responsibilities to team members?

  Without distinct goals, groups drift into social loafing more easily
• What role do clear and attainable goals play in reducing social loafing?

  They help group members be more productive and decrease social loafing
• How does involvement in the group affect social loafing?

  Members who feel involved and invested in the group tend to be more productive
• What can increasing involvement in the group encourage?

  Team loyalty and decrease social loafing