Final answer:
Group contingencies can pose challenges such as coordination issues, groupthink, group polarization, difficulty in monitoring individual contributions (especially in large groups), and higher transaction and conformity costs.
Step-by-step explanation:
The cons of group contingencies involve several challenges such as coordination difficulties, the potential for groupthink, and the emergence of group polarization. Groupthink can lead to a uniformity of thought that discourages dissent and undermines the decision-making process. Large groups particularly face issues with decision-making coordination, where the time and resources needed to reach a consensus are substantial, and individuals might withhold their true opinions to maintain group harmony. Decision making within a group may also become more extreme as a result of group polarization, where the initial stance of a group becomes more intense post-discussion. This can lead to decisions that individual members would not support outside the group context and can contribute to divisiveness within society, especially when media consumption is echo-chamber-like and reinforcing of existing beliefs.
Another con is the impracticality of monitoring and enforcement in large groups. In small groups, it's easier to spot and address noncontributory behavior, also known as free riding. However, in a large group, individual efforts are less visible, and free riding can be more common as people may take advantage of the group's resources without contributing fairly. Additionally, large groups face significant challenges with transaction and conformity costs, which represent the resources spent on decision-making and the individual dissatisfaction with group decisions not completely aligning with personal preferences, respectively.