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MENTAL MODEL · M4067

Social Loafing

Social Loafing
BehaviorHigh supportSocial Psychology
Included
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Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30

CORE DEFINITION

In a group, the effort exerted by individuals decreases as the group size increases, because individual contributions become difficult to identify and evaluate separately. This phenomenon is more pronounced when tasks are simple and individual contributions are hard to distinguish.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

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Performance evaluation optimization. In team management, project collaboration, and collective tasks, understanding how social loafing affects group efficiency helps us improve group work outcomes by clarifying individual responsibilities, setting measurable individual goals, and establishing individual performance feedback mechanisms.

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When individual contributions are submerged in group output, the perceived 'effort-reward' association is diluted, responsibility is diffused (diffusion of responsibility effect), and motivation to exert effort decreases. Additionally, if individuals believe others will also slack off or that their extra effort won't change the outcome, the tendency to free-ride is further strengthened. The more difficult it is to quantify individual contributions, the more severe the loafing.

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Source support: Explicit

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    en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_loafingZH · Explicit
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