Suppose the Line You Are Standing in at a Grocery

question 62

Multiple Choice

Suppose the line you are standing in at a grocery checkout counter has not moved for 10 minutes. You notice a cashier opening a new one and inviting you to check out. Do you switch to the new cashier or stay put because you have already waited for 10 minutes?

• A) stay, because you have already waited for 10 minutes
• B) decide to wait for another 5 minutes in case your line speeds up
• C) walk out of the store without buying anything because of the wait times
• D) be patient and read a magazine while you are waiting
• E) switch, because the 10 minutes you waited is a sunk cost

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Definitions:

Social Loafing

The tendency of individuals to put in less effort when working in a group compared to when working alone.

Coordination Loss

The inefficiency in group performance compared to individual performance, due to the difficulty of aligning the efforts and actions of all members.

Task Taxonomy

Group tasks can be classified according to whether a division of labour is possible; whether there is a predetermined standard to be met; and how an individual’s inputs can contribute.

Divisible Task

A task that can be broken down into smaller, separate tasks to be completed by different individuals.