What term describes the tendency for individuals in a group to exert less effort towards a common goal?

The term that describes the tendency for individuals within a group to exert less effort towards a common goal is social loafing. This phenomenon occurs when people feel less accountable for their contributions to the group, often assuming that their efforts will not significantly impact the overall outcome. As group size increases, individuals may rely on others to take on more responsibility, leading to a decrease in personal effort.

Social loafing can arise from several factors, including diffusion of responsibility, where individuals think their contributions are less noticeable in a larger group, or a motivation decrease because they may feel their input is less valuable. Understanding social loafing is important in various settings, such as team projects in school or collaborative work environments, where maximizing individual contribution is crucial for success. The other terms, while related to group dynamics, do not specifically capture this phenomenon of reduced individual effort in a collective task.