As you may have noticed nowadays teaching systems have evolved to contain a social learning component which may contain elements such as presentations, group activities and/or projects. Based on my personal experiences as a student I have always questioned how the presence of others may affect my performance as an individual or in a group setting.
According to social psychologists there is a tendency for people to perform simple task in the presence of another person confidently and fast. In contrast, the performance of more challenging tasks can get hindered by the presence of another person. This phenomenon is referred to as social facilitation. When others observe us we become aroused, this arousal strengthens the most likely response. Our likely response can be the correct one for an easy task and the wrong one for a difficult task. The fear of being judged by others and the thought of it can distract our focus and interfere with our performance.
So what happens when everyone in a group is working and a task must be done as a team?
Team work
When the group is assigned to perform a task, the group members get motivated to exert less effort and instead to count on the other members; this tendency in known as social loafing. By being a part of a group you may feel less responsible and consequently think that your contribution is dispensable.
If working in groups may potentially promote people to put less effort why does the current educational system put an emphasis on group interaction and cooperative learning as the best way to learn?
Does ‘Group Work’ Work? : Is It the Best Way for Children to Learn?
It has been shown that interacting in a group can have a good and bad effect. Group interaction can strengthen a common thought or goal, a process called group polarization. In other words a discussion between like-minded people in a group will enhance their prevailing opinion. Even though it can lead to a harmony, group polarization can encourage ‘groupthink’, through which group members fail to consider an alternative solution. In addition, group members often doubt their critiques and are pressured to agree with the group only to support the group’s integrity due to their desire to create a unified conclusion. By being knowledgeable with these phenomenon instructors can direct groups to consider alternatives as well as identifying possible problems.
Shadi Saffari
References :
http://www.simplypsychology.org/social-psychology.html
http://psychcentral.com/encyclopedia/2009/social-facilitation/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arousal
http://www.co-operation.org/?page_id=65
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group_polarization
http://www.psysr.org/about/pubs_resources/groupthink%20overview.htm
http://critical-thinkers.com/2010/12/7-ways-to-avoid-groupthink/
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Managing_Groups_and_Teams/Social_Loafing
video form
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tdt-b4yMp-M&feature=relmfu
picture from
http://www.sxc.hu/photo/36319
