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 occurs because individual contributions are less identifiable in a collective setting, leading people to feel less accountable for the outcome. Social loafing can reduce overall group productivity and is more likely in tasks where each member’s input is not clearly evaluated. Researchers have identified factors that mitigate this effect, such as increasing task importance or making individual performance visible.

Professor: Now, let me give you an example from a study I conducted with my students. I asked participants to clap as loudly as possible. First, each person clapped alone, and I measured the sound intensity. Then, I asked them to clap together in a group of six, pretending it was a team exercise. Interestingly, the total sound produced by the group was less than three times the sound of a single person, even though there were six people. When I interviewed them afterward, several said they felt their effort wouldn't matter much in the group, so they didn't push themselves. However, when I told another group that I would individually record each person’s clapping volume using a separate microphone, their group output increased significantly. They knew their personal contribution could be detected, so they clapped harder. This shows that when people feel their individual effort is visible, social loafing decreases.