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MENTAL MODEL · M10473

Ringelmann Effect

Ringelmann Effect
BehaviorHigh supportSocial Psychology
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Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30

CORE DEFINITION

Ringelmann discovered that when a group works together on a task, individual effort decreases as the number of people increases, a phenomenon known as 'social loafing'.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

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The Ringelmann Effect refers to the phenomenon where individual productivity within a group decreases as the group size increases. It was proposed by French agricultural engineer Maximilien Ringelmann (1861-1931), indicating an inverse relationship between group size and the contribution of individual members to task completion. While studying the relationship between 'process loss' (i.e., reduced performance effectiveness or efficiency) and group productivity, Ringelmann found that when members work together on a task (e.g., pulling a rope), they actually exert much less effort than when acting alone. As more people join a team, the team tends to become increasingly inefficient, contradicting the notion that teamwork and participation make members more diligent.

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In group rope-pulling experiments, individual effort decreases as the number of people increases, revealing social loafing.

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Source support: Explicit

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    zh.wikipedia.orghttps://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%9E%97%E6%A0%BC%E6%9B%BC%E6%95%88%E5%BA%94ZH · Explicit
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