Differentiating Social Facilitation from Social Loafing

Medium Unit 14: Social Psychology Group Dynamics

Within the realm of social psychology, group dynamics encompasses various phenomena that highlight the intricacies of behavior in group contexts. One significant aspect of group interactions is the concept of social facilitation, which refers to how the presence of others can enhance an individual's performance on certain tasks. In contrast, the mere presence of others might also lead to social loafing, where individuals put forth less effort when working in a group compared to when they work alone. Considering these concepts, how does social facilitation differ from social loafing in terms of individual performance?

Social facilitation results in improved performance on difficult tasks, while social loafing occurs regardless of task difficulty.

Social facilitation is linked to task complexity, whereas social loafing is primarily influenced by group size.

Social facilitation enhances performance primarily in well-learned tasks, while social loafing leads to diminished effort in group tasks.

Social facilitation consistently promotes teamwork, while social loafing always leads to conflict within groups.

Social facilitation applies only to competitive group settings, while social loafing can occur in any type of group.

Hint

Submitted9.2K

Correct6.2K

% Correct67%