TOEFL Speaking 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 motivation often occurs because individual contributions become less identifiable, leading people to feel less accountable for the outcome. Social loafing can undermine group productivity and is more likely in large groups or when tasks are simple and repetitive. Researchers have studied this effect in various settings, such as physical labor and brainstorming sessions, to understand how group dynamics influence personal effort.

Professor: Let me give you a classic example. In my psychology class, I asked students to form groups of four and clap as loudly as possible. First, each student clapped alone, and I measured the noise with a sound meter. Then, I had the whole group clap together, but I told them I was measuring the total group sound. Interestingly, the combined noise was much less than the sum of each individual’s solo clapping. When I interviewed them later, several students admitted, 'I thought others would make up the difference, so I didn’t clap as hard.' This shows how being in a group reduced their personal effort—exactly what social loafing predicts. The effect disappeared when I told them I would measure each person’s clapping individually, even in the group setting.