Question

You are asked to "name all the uses you can think of for a brick," writing each one on a card. If you are working by yourself, you will probably come up with far more responses than if you are working as part of a group. This is most clearly an example of what psychologists call

a) Groupthink
b) Social facilitation
c) Brainstorming
d) Social loafing

Answer 1

The correct answer is d) Social loafing, which refers to reduced individual effort and motivation in a group setting when individual contributions are not directly evaluated.

Step-by-step explanation:

The phenomenon described in the question is most accurately defined as d) Social loafing. Social loafing refers to a reduction in individual effort when working on tasks in a group setting, where each person's contribution is not individually evaluated leading to less motivation to perform well. This contrasted with working alone often results in a decrease in the quantity and diversity of output during collective tasks.

The notion that an individual working by themselves might generate more uses for a brick compared to when that individual is working within a group aligns well with the concept of social loafing. When individuals are aware that their individual efforts will not be singularly assessed, they may subconsciously contribute less, believing others in the group will compensate. Consequently, the group produces fewer ideas as opposed to an individual who is solely accountable for the task at hand. This type of behavior is mitigated when individual contributions are identifiable and evaluated, which is not the circumstance described in the student's question.