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Listen to an Academic Talk Test #031
Listen to an Academic Talk
1. What is the lecture mainly about?
A) A common problem with group projects
B) A theory about individual motivation
C) The tendency to work less hard in groups
D) How to be an effective team member
2. What did the Ringelmann experiment demonstrate?
A) People are stronger when they work together
B) Individuals exert less force in a group setting
C) Rope-pulling is a difficult task to measure
D) Group work was studied a long time ago
3. What might the professor imply about a student working alone on an assignment?
A) The student will feel a greater sense of responsibility
B) The student will likely produce lower quality work
C) The student will finish the assignment more quickly
D) The student will find the task less enjoyable
4. Why does the professor mention class group projects?
A) To introduce a different sociological concept
B) To give a relatable, modern example of the topic
C) To argue that group projects are ineffective
D) To show how the original experiment was flawed
Professor: Today we're looking at a concept called social loafing. This is the tendency for individuals to exert less effort on a task when they are working in a group versus when they're working alone. This isn't about being lazy; it's a documented social phenomenon.
One of the first studies on this was back in 1913. An engineer named Max Ringelmann had men pull on a rope, first by themselves and then in groups. He found that the collective force of the group was less than the sum of the individual forces. People simply didn't pull as hard when others were also pulling.
You've probably seen this in group projects for a class, where one or two people end up doing most of the work. A key reason for this is the diffusion of responsibility. When you're in a group, it's easier to feel that your individual contribution isn't as important, or that someone else will pick up the slack.
One of the first studies on this was back in 1913. An engineer named Max Ringelmann had men pull on a rope, first by themselves and then in groups. He found that the collective force of the group was less than the sum of the individual forces. People simply didn't pull as hard when others were also pulling.
You've probably seen this in group projects for a class, where one or two people end up doing most of the work. A key reason for this is the diffusion of responsibility. When you're in a group, it's easier to feel that your individual contribution isn't as important, or that someone else will pick up the slack.
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