It has been one of the prima facia assumptions of choral conductors that one of the benefits accruing to our ensembles is the greater aesthetic experience which results from singers working in a group,
A part of this spoken or often unspoken assumption is that it is precisely that group experience which raises the aesthetic experience a notch or two above that of the “mere” soloist. There is one aspect of the group experience which needs to be examined in some greater detail. This is the problem of the individual who, when his contribution to the group cannot be easily measured, tends to slacken his output. Several psychological researchers have called this the theory of social loafing.1
This rather strange behavior from otherwise dependable people leads one to ask why there is an apparent drop in effort when participating within a group. One hypothesis advanced is that people attempt to compensate for what they feel is an inequity in the relative output between themselves and those around them. One reason put forward for this was that the individual is closer to the source of his own output of energy and hence feels a greater intensity. This may create an inaccurate and exaggerated impression of one’s contribution to the group product.
Another, perhaps more plausible, explanation is the natural temptation to become free riders – particularly tempting when the effort necessary is considerable as would be the case with any successful choral ensemble. It is immediately obvious to any ensemble singer that the praise or blame, success or failure, positive or negative effects of the ensemble situation are divided equally among the members to the extent that the larger the group a) the less the impact of the individual on the group, and b) the less chance for reward or blame. Most psychological rewardsare more intensely immediate when one’s effort can be individually monitored.
Eileen Finley says