Studies of Individualism-Collectivism: Effects on Cooperation in Groups.

Data from 492 college students indicated that group size and individuals' identifiability, sense of shared responsibility, and levels of individualism or collectivism influenced peer-rated cooperation in classroom groups. Levels of individualism or collectivism moderated the effects of size and identifiability on cooperation but not those of shared responsibility. These findings suggest that models of free riding and social loafing provide insights into individualistic cooperation in groups but are limited in their ability to explain the cooperation of collectivists.