Oxford AQA A Level Psychology: SOCIAL FACILITATION & SOCIAL LOAFING [3.3.4 Work and The Individual]

This fully editable lesson focuses on the concepts of social facilitation and social loafing, exploring how the presence of others can either enhance or hinder performance, and how group dynamics influence individual effort. Designed using the OxfordAQA International A-level Psychology (9685) specification, students will learn key theories and engage in applied examples, particularly in workplace and organisational settings.

Key Features:

• Comprehensive Lesson Slides: Covers the principles of social facilitation and social loafing, highlighting studies by Triplett (1897) and Ringelmann (1913). The slides explain essential concepts such as audience and co-action effects in social facilitation, along with key factors contributing to social loafing, such as diffusion of responsibility and the sucker effect. Additionally, students will analyse the impact of group processes on decision-making, productivity, and individual identity.

• Interactive Activities: Engages students with a “Do Now” activity prompting them to consider how understanding group processes could improve teamwork in the workplace. Structured questions throughout the lesson assess comprehension of key concepts, such as the difference between the audience and co-action effects in social facilitation. Students will also participate in Think-Pair-Share discussions and apply their knowledge to real-life scenarios, such as analysing the performance of actors in a group setting.

• Assessment Materials: Includes exam-style questions with model answers, helping students to evaluate research on social facilitation and social loafing. Students will critically assess the strengths and limitations of these theories, considering cultural differences and the practical implications in various contexts such as the workplace.