TOEFL Speaking Task 3

Social loafing refers to the tendency for individuals to exert less effort when working in a group than when working alone. This phenomenon occurs because individuals feel less accountable for the final outcome, believing that their personal contribution is less noticeable or important within a collective effort. Social loafing can reduce overall group productivity and is more likely to occur when tasks are simple and group members' individual inputs are not evaluated separately.

Professor: Now, let's look at a real-world example. In a university psychology department, researchers asked students to participate in a rope-pulling task. Each student pulled a rope attached to a device that measured force. First, they pulled alone, and the average force was about 100 units. Then, they were asked to pull as part of a group of five, but they were blindfolded and told that the others were pulling too, though in reality they were pulling alone. The researchers found that when the students believed they were in a group, their average force dropped to about 70 units. Interestingly, when the students were told that their individual pulling force would be recorded and identified, even in the group condition, their effort returned to nearly the same level as when they pulled alone. This shows that when individuals perceive their contribution is anonymous, they slack off, but when they think they are being evaluated individually, they work harder.