Shaista mirr:

Topic :Introduction of social loafing:

social loafing refers to the phenomenon where individuals exert less effort when working collectively in
a group compared to when working individually. This can happen because individuals feel their
contribution is less noticeable or necessary in a group setting.

The expression "many hands make light work" suggests that with more people involved in a task, the
workload is distributed among them, making the task seem easier or lighter for each individual.

Examples:

 Class project
 Presentation

Experiments:
Ringelmann's Rope-Pulling Experiment:
Background: Conducted by French engineer Maximilien Ringelmann in the late 1980s, this
experiment aimed to study the relationship between group size and individual effort in a simple
physical task.
Methodology:
Participants were asked to pull on a rope attached to a dynamometer, a device used to measure
force.
Each participant was tested individually and then in groups of varying sizes, ranging from two to
eight people.
Ringelmann measured the force exerted by each individual and compared it to the force exerted
by the group as a whole.
Findings:
Ringelmann discovered that as the size of the group increased, the average individual effort
exerted by each member decreased.
Specifically, he found that while two people working together exerted slightly more than twice
the force of one person alone
Interpretation:
Ringelmann attributed this decrease in individual effort to social loafing, where individuals exert
less effort in a group setting due to diffusion of responsibility and a reduced sense of
accountability.
He proposed that as group size increases, individuals feel less personally responsible for the
outcome, leading to a decrease in effort
Experiment:2
Latane, Williams, and Harkins' Clapping and Shouting Experiment:
Background: Conducted in the 1970s by Bibb Latane, Kipling Williams, and Stephen Harkins, this
experiment aimed to replicate and extend Ringelmann's findings in a different context
 In a study conducted by Latané, Williams, and Harkins (1979), participants were asked to shout
or clap as loudly as possible while wearing headphones that isolated them from hearing others.
They were led to believe they were performing the task either alone or as part of a group. The
researchers found that when participants believed they were part of a group, they exerted less
effort compared to when they thought they were alone. This demonstrated social loafing as
individuals contributed less when they felt their efforts were not individually identifiable

.These experiments provided empirical evidence for the phenomenon of social loafing, demonstrating
how group size can impact individual effort in collective tasks.