Melissa has been assigned to do a group project with three other students. She knows that two of them are good students who will do an excellent job on the project. Since the teacher won't know who has done what work on the project, she doesn't bother to work very hard. The smart kids, as she thinks of them, can do the work. Her apparent laziness is due to
A)social facilitation.
B)groupthink.
C)the norm of reciprocity.
D)social loafing.
E)social compensation.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Melissa's lack of effort in the group project, assuming others will compensate for her lack of participation, is an example of social loafing. Social loafing occurs when individuals exert less effort when working in a group than when working alone, often because they believe others will pick up the slack.

Melissa Has Been Assigned to Do a Group Project with Three