托福口语 Task 3

Social loafing is a phenomenon in which individuals exert less effort when working in a group than when working alone. This reduction in effort occurs because people feel their contributions are less identifiable or less necessary within a collective setting. Social loafing often arises when tasks are simple and group members believe their personal input will not be evaluated. However, the effect can be minimized when the task is challenging, when individual contributions are clearly measured, or when group members have strong personal motivation.

Professor: I remember a study that perfectly shows social loafing. Researchers asked college students to pull a rope attached to a device that measured force. When students pulled alone, they each averaged about 85 kilograms of force. But when they pulled in groups of three, each person only pulled about 65 kilograms. The students thought their individual effort wouldn't be noticed, so they slacked off. But here's the twist—when the researchers made the task more complex, like adding a cognitive challenge where they had to remember a number while pulling, the effort went back up. In that condition, each person pulled nearly 80 kilograms because the task demanded more attention, and students felt their personal contribution mattered more. So the key is that when a task is simple and anonymous, people loaf, but when it's challenging, they step up.