7.4. INFLUENCE OF GROUP ON INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOUR

We have seen that groups are powerful as they are able to influence the behaviour of individuals. What is the nature of this influence? What impact does the presence of others have on our performance?

This chunk introduces the idea that groups have a strong effect on individuals. It raises questions about the nature of this influence and how being around others can affect how we perform tasks. Specifically, it prepares us to learn about two main scenarios of influence: performing alone in the presence of others and performing as part of a larger group.

Think about when you are studying alone versus when you are in a study group. In a study group, you might feel motivated to focus and perform better because others are around you, which illustrates how the presence of others can enhance your performance.

This enhancement occurs when a person’s efforts are individually evaluated.

Social facilitation refers to the phenomenon where individuals perform better on tasks when they are in the presence of others, provided that their performance is evaluated individually. This is because the presence of others can increase arousal and motivation. For tasks that someone is already good at, this arousal can lead to improved performance.

Imagine you are running a race. When you're alone, you might not push yourself as hard, but when you are surrounded by other competitors, your adrenaline kicks in, urging you to run faster. This is due to social facilitation—you're motivated to perform better because others are watching or competing.

Individuals work less hard in a group than they do when performing alone. This points to a phenomenon referred to as ‘social loafing’.

Social loafing describes a situation where individuals exert less effort when working in a group compared to working alone. This occurs because when tasks are pooled, individuals feel less responsible for the overall outcome and thus may reduce their effort, believing others will pick up the slack.

Consider a group project at school. If there are four people in the group, each member might think, 'I don't need to do my best; others will cover for me.' This can lead to a situation where little gets accomplished because everyone is putting in less effort than they would have if they were working on the project alone.

Group members feel less responsible for the overall task being performed and therefore exert less effort.

Various reasons lead to social loafing, including decreased individual responsibility, lack of evaluation of individual contributions, and improper coordination among members. When individuals believe their input will not be singled out or recognized, their motivation to contribute fully diminishes.

In a tug-of-war game, if everyone pulls with half their strength, they might not realize that a little extra effort per person could make a huge difference. If each player assumes others will pull harder, they may intentionally slack off, demonstrating social loafing in action.

Possible solutions include making the efforts of each person identifiable and increasing the pressure to work hard.

To combat social loafing, strategies can be employed such as identifying individual contributions, creating accountability, and enhancing the importance of the task. When members know that their efforts will be individually recognized, they are more likely to contribute their fair share.

In a classroom, if a teacher assigns each student a specific role on a team project and requires each to present part of the project to the class, students are more likely to exert effort. Knowing they will be evaluated individually motivates them to work harder, preventing social loafing.

Groups show another tendency referred to as 'group polarization'. It has been found that groups are more likely to take extreme decisions than individuals alone.

Group polarization refers to the tendency of group members to adopt more extreme positions after discussing an issue together. When individuals with similar views come together, they reinforce each other's opinions and take a more extreme stance than they might have alone.

In a debate, if you and your friends all support a certain political idea, discussing it together can strengthen your belief in that idea. You might start out with moderate views, but as you talk, you may all agree to take a much stronger stance, demonstrating how group discussions can amplify initial opinions.

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