This experiment was designed to test the motivation to perform a task for males and females in mixed and same-sex groups. Individuals in homogeneous groups (four males or four females) or heterogeneous groups (two males and two females) clapped their hands alone, in pairs and in foursomes. People exerted more effort alone than in groups,…

High attrition in technical training courses in Army Service Schools was found to be a major problem during the years 1962 to 1965. Data obtained at the U.S. Army Air Defense School showed that students who volunteered specifically for their training had significantly lower attrition rates than students of comparable aptitude who were assigned to…

For some time, cultural anthropologists have attempted to explain regularities of behavior in large groups (nations, tribes, etc.) through a series of studies generally known as "national character" or "modal personality" studies. The investigation reported here attempts to adapt the "modal personality" approach to…

Research conducted in the United States has found that people exert more effort when they perform a task individually than when they do so in a group. This phenomenon has been labeled social loafing. To examine the transcultural generality of social loafing, 20 male and 20 female Chinese school children in Taiwan were selected from grades 2, 3, 6,…