Cognitive Scaffold

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MENTAL MODEL · M6308

Social Loafing

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

CORE DEFINITION

In collective tasks, an individual's effort decreases as the team size increases. In a tug-of-war, eight people exert less than eight times the force of one person. This occurs because of diffusion of responsibility and lack of evaluation.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

Diminishing marginal returns of team size. If you want to improve efficiency, don't simply add people. Break large teams into smaller units with independent accountability (Amazon's 'Two-Pizza Rule') to make each person's contribution 'visible' and eliminate loafing.

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The phenomenon of decreased individual effort in group work (Ringelmann effect): diffusion of responsibility dilutes personal investment, especially when contributions are hard to identify.

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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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