Final answer:
True, a gatekeeper can enhance group cohesion and reduce social loafing by ensuring equitable participation among all group members, which is vital in bigger groups and proven effective in educational settings.
Step-by-step explanation:
True, a gatekeeper can indeed help build cohesion within a group and minimize social loafing. This role involves ensuring that every member gets an opportunity to contribute, which is especially crucial in larger groups where individual effort may not be as noticeable. Social loafing, where members contribute less when they feel less individually accountable, is more common in larger groups and among populations like college students but less so in small groups or among women and people from collectivistic cultures. Strong social cohesion and communication are pivotal in preventing free-riding and encouraging collective action, particularly in large group dynamics. For example, in a classroom setting, the use of the flocking method in group formation can reduce social loafing and improve performance on group assignments by aligning students with similar schedules and motivations.