Replicating Latané's classic experiment, students are asked to clap and shout as loudly as possible. Half perform alone; half in groups of six, believing the group's combined output is measured. Per-person sound output drops by roughly 30% in the group condition, even though all participants insist they exerted full effort.
On a separate well-learned cycling task, participants pedal faster when others are watching. Combined with the loafing finding, this contrast best supports the idea that:
- A
Group settings always enhance performance
- B
Group settings always reduce performance
- C
Audiences eliminate individual differences in motivation
- Dcheck_circle
Co-actor presence enhances simple/well-learned tasks but evaluation potential is key in additive tasks
Explanation
Social facilitation enhances dominant responses on simple tasks; loafing emerges on additive tasks when individuals are unidentifiable. Both depend on whether one's effort is evaluated.