When Jerry thought he was the only person who was assigned the job of contacting alumni for a 15-year reunion, he spent several hours on the phone each evening trying to reach members of his graduating class. When he learned that eight other people were also working on contacting the alumni, he spent only 30 minutes each night making phone calls. The process that would BEST explain the decrease in Jerry's effort when he learned that he was working as part of a larger group is
A)social interference.
B)social loafing.
C)the bystander effect.
D)social dissonance.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The decrease in Jerry's effort upon learning he was part of a larger group is best explained by social loafing, which is the phenomenon where individuals exert less effort to achieve a goal when they work in a group than when they work alone.

When Jerry Thought He Was the Only Person Who Was