Social Loafing
Imagine you’ve been assigned a group project with classmates you barely know, and everyone will receive the same grade. Would you put in maximum effort, even if others might not? Or would you do a bit less, assuming someone else will pick up the slack?
social loafing
Social loafing occurs when individuals put in less effort on a group task because their individual contributions are not evaluated separately. When effort is pooled and accountability is low, motivation often decreases.
When Is Social Loafing Most Likely?
Research shows that social loafing is more likely when:
- individual contributions are not identifiable,
- all group members receive the same outcome, and
- the group is large, making it easier to blend in.
As group size increases, the likelihood of social loafing also increases (Shepperd & Taylor, 1999). In large groups, people may feel their individual effort “doesn’t matter as much.”
Studies have found that college students are particularly likely to experience social loafing, especially in classroom group work (Karau & Williams, 1993). However, social loafing is not inevitable.
Reducing Social Loafing
Research suggests several ways social loafing can be reduced:
- Individual accountability: When people know their work will be evaluated by an instructor or manager, effort increases.
- Self-evaluations or peer evaluations: Reflecting on one’s own contribution can increase motivation.
- Smaller group sizes: Fewer members make individual effort more visible.
One classroom-based strategy involves intentional group formation. Harding (2018) compared student groups that self-selected to groups formed using a flocking method, in which students were grouped based on similar schedules and motivation levels. Students in flocked groups reported less “free riding” and performed better overall than those who chose their own groups.
deindividuation
Deindividuation refers to situations in which a person may feel a sense of anonymity and therefore a reduction in accountability and sense of self when among others.
Deindividuation is often pointed to in cases in which mob or riot-like behaviors occur (Zimbardo, 1969), but research on the subject and the role that deindividuation plays in such behaviors has resulted in inconsistent results (as discussed in Granström, Guvå, Hylander, & Rosander, 2009).
When Groups Can Improve Performance
Interestingly, the opposite of social loafing can occur under certain conditions. When tasks are complex or challenging, group members may actually feel more motivated to contribute.
If a task is difficult and people believe their input is important, they may increase effort rather than decrease it (Jackson & Williams, 1985). Being part of a group can also reduce anxiety by lowering performance pressure, which can improve outcomes for challenging tasks (Zajonc, 1965).
In these cases, group work can enhance motivation rather than undermine it.
Summarizing Social Influence
| Type of Social Influence | Description |
|---|---|
| Conformity | Changing your behavior to go along with the group even if you do not agree with the group |
| Compliance | Going along with a request or demand |
| Normative social influence | Conformity to a group norm to fit in, feel good, and be accepted by the group |
| Informational social influence | Conformity to a group norm prompted by the belief that the group is competent and has the correct information |
| Obedience | Changing your behavior to please an authority figure or to avoid aversive consequences |
| Groupthink | Tendency to prioritize group cohesion over critical thinking that might lead to poor decision making; more likely to occur when there is perceived unanimity among the group |
| Group polarization | Strengthening of the original group attitude after discussing views within a group |
| Social facilitation | Improved performance when an audience is watching an individual perform a skill they excel at versus when the individual performs the behavior alone |
| Social loafing | Exertion of less effort by a person working in a group because individual performance cannot be evaluated separately from the group, thus causing performance decline on easy tasks |
| Deindividuation | Group situation in which a person may feel a sense of anonymity and a resulting reduction in accountability and sense of self |