Social Loafing in Interactive Groups: The Effects of Identifiability on Effort and Individual Performance in Floorball

This study investigated whether effort and performance in interactive teams are influenced by identifiability of individual motivation and effort. The subjects participated in a floorball tournament under conditions of non-identifiability and identifiability. Measures of self-reported effort, heart rate, individual performance and perceived social loafing were collected. The results indicated that, under identifiability conditions, the participants improved their performance, subjective feelings of effort increased, and they perceived less social loafing in their teammates. No changes in heart rate were detected. Results are discussed in relation to previous research, and study limitations, practical implications, and further research directions are also outlined.