SOCIAL LOAFING AND SELF-BELIEFS - PEOPLES COLLECTIVE EFFORT DEPENDS ON THE EXTENT TO WHICH THEY DISTINGUISH THEMSELVES AS BETTER THAN OTHERS

An experiment tested whether the belief that one is better than others on performance aspects of the self moderates social leafing, the tend ency for individuals to expend less effort when working collectively t han when working individually. French students performed an easy task either coactively or collectively. They were then asked to rate hour t hey individuate themselves from others on personal abilities within va rious domains of social life. The leafing effect was especially strong in participants who perceived themselves as better than others, sugge sting that self-beliefs related to one's feeling of uniqueness is a si gnificant component of social leafing. This finding is discussed from the perspective of Karau and Williams' (1993) Collective Effort Model.