托福口语 Task 3

Social loafing refers to the tendency of 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 and perceive that their contributions are less identifiable. Social loafing can reduce group productivity and is often observed in tasks where collective performance is emphasized rather than individual input. Researchers have identified factors such as task complexity and group size that can influence the extent of social loafing.

Professor: So, let's look at a classic example from a study. Researchers asked participants to pull a rope attached to a pressure gauge. When pulling alone, the average force was about 85 kilograms. But when they pulled in groups of three, each person's average force dropped to about 65 kilograms. In groups of six, it fell to just 45 kilograms per person. The participants didn't realize they were slacking off—they thought they were pulling as hard as they could. But the gauge showed clear effort reduction. Why? Because in a group, no one can easily tell who is contributing how much. Each person feels less personally responsible for the total force. This drop in individual effort when part of a larger group perfectly illustrates social loafing.