social loafing | Introductory Psychology Blog (S14)

Did you ever wonder why the majority of students dislike working in groups on projects? It is not just because the person you got stuck with smells funny. Groups affect our performance. This is called Social Facilitation. Your performance will improve in the presence of others because having other people around you increases your arousal level which strengthens the most likely response. For example, if you feel confident in the action like basketball because you’ve played on a school team the majority of your life then you will have an improved performance. The opposite effect can also happen. If you feel like you are not very good at that task your performance will only get worse, which is called Social Impairment. Depending on your base confidence level you will only get better or worse if this action is done in the presence of others.

This could have something to do with why when you are in a group no one likes to take point. It is because you are all learning this material as you go so no one is too confident in themselves and their knowledge. You tend to second guess yourself more than once. But Social Facilitation and Social Impairment are not the only possible answer for why group work or group projects tend to be more of a burden then the help that is intended. It could also be explained by Social Loafing. Social Loafing is the tendency of an individual in a group to exert less effort toward attaining their common goal than when tested individually. Studies have shown that 18% of people, not just students, put less effort into that project when they think they are on a team. It gives them a certain mind set that others will pick up the slack for them or that they don’t have to do as much because they have a “smart” person in their group.

Next time a professor or maybe your employer puts you on a team project or task you can explain to them the benefits of working solo instead. Make sure to state the long list of cons as well. Maybe, just maybe, they will listen.

I have often noticed the effects that social facilitation and social loafing have had in the classroom, as well as in every day life. To begin with, social facilitation is the concept that people will have improved performance on a task when they are in the presence of others, as compared to being alone. This is especially prevalent in everyday life, specifically competition. One very personal example of this that comes to mind is juggling before, during, and after soccer practices when I was younger. When in the backyard, or just goofing around with a ball all-alone, I would always perform less juggles than I did when I felt like I was competing with my teammates during a soccer practice. Just the presence of others performing the same task as me caused me to try my hardest to beat them, even though it was almost never a sanctioned competition. I also find this concept of social facilitation prevalent when stopped at red lights. Upon the light turning green with no one in the lane next to me, I usually slowly accelerate, and make my way up to the speed limit. Contrastingly, whenever there is someone in the lane next to me, whether I know them or not, I put the pedal to the floor in an attempt to speed past them. Both of these examples in my life fulfill the concept of social facilitation, or more specifically performing a task better whilst in the presence of others.

Another psychological concept that is present in every day life is the idea of social loafing. Social loafing is the idea of exerting less effort when a common goal is attempting to be attained than when one is being tested individually. The best real world example of this occurs day-in and day-out inside of a classroom. All throughout my life, and I’m sure in the lives of others, group projects have presented many problems in terms of grading and effort. In my personal experience, when a group I am a part of is being graded as a unit, there are almost always individuals that slack off, and don’t put their equal share of effort in. However, whenever a group I am a part of is being graded on an individual basis, each person in the group puts forth their best effort towards the common goal, which is ultimately a better grade. This perfectly encapsulates the concept of social loafing, and the variance in effort individuals put forth while a part of a group project.

All in all, the concepts of social facilitation and social loafing can be found in every aspect of every day life. One just has to open their eyes, and look for it.