MCAT Behavioral Sciences Question 218: Answer and Explanation

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Question: 218

8. Despite having a stake in an upcoming election, a citizen eligible to vote declines to go to the polls, declaring that her vote is too small to make a difference and she knows her candidate will win anyway. Her behavior is most demonstrative of which of the following?

  • A. Social loafing theory
  • B. Opponent-process theory
  • C. Regression to the mean
  • D. Group polarization

Correct Answer: A

Explanation:

According to social loafing theory, people working in groups will exert less effort when they are not held individually accountable, downplaying the importance of their own contribution while assuming that someone else will take up the slack. Because the citizen described does have a stake in the election, but decides not to vote because she believes her vote won't make a difference (she assumes that the candidate will win because everyone else will vote for that candidate), her behavior can best be explained by social loafing (choice A is correct). The opponent-process theory has to do with color perception, not group behavior (choice B is wrong) and regression to the mean is a statistical phenomenon, not a social one (choice C is wrong). Group polarization describes the phenomenon whereby a group's views become more extreme; it does not explain the scenario presented in the question stem (choice D is wrong).

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