Social Facilitation and Social Loafing

Introduction to Social Facilitation

• Key Question: Does the presence of others help or hinder performance?
• Concept: Social facilitation suggests that the presence of others increases the likelihood of the dominant response.

Dominant Response

• Definition: The response most likely to occur when a behavior is performed.
• Impact on Performance:
  • Well-Practiced Tasks: Presence of others enhances performance (e.g., a well-rehearsed presentation).
  • Poorly Practiced/Complex Tasks: Presence of others may lead to poorer performance due to increased mistakes.

Mechanism Behind Social Facilitation

• Increased Arousal:
  • Presence of others triggers physiological and psychological excitement.
  • Involves activation of the autonomic nervous system ("nervous energy").
• Result: Increased likelihood of the dominant response, whether correct or incorrect, depending on task complexity and rehearsal.

Evaluation and Performance

• High-Stakes Evaluation: Increases arousal, affecting performance.
• Non-Evaluative Situations:
  • Example: Discussing presentations with close friends may lead to no increased arousal due to comfort level.

Social Loafing

• Definition: Tendency to exert less effort in a group task when individual contributions are not evaluated.
• Observations in Group Work:
  • Some individuals may contribute less, assuming the group will complete the task.
  • Results in reduced individual effort and overall poorer group performance.

Reducing Social Loafing

• Strategies:
  • Make tasks more challenging.
  • Separate individual performance evaluation (e.g., individual grades).
  • Make individual contributions essential (e.g., assigning specific parts of a presentation).

Conclusion

• Key Insight: The presence of others can both help and hinder performance, depending on task familiarity, evaluation context, and group dynamics.