You are studying in a quiet but crowded library when you suddenly start coughing.You soon notice others doing the same thing.This is an example of

A) social loafing.
B) group polarization.
C) social facilitation.
D) social contagion.

Social contagion refers to the spread of behaviors, emotions, and ideas from one person to another within a group. In this situation, the coughing behavior spreads from one person to another, indicating social contagion. Social loafing refers to individuals exerting less effort in a group than they would if they were alone, group polarization refers to a group's tendency to make decisions that are more extreme than the initial inclination of its members, and social facilitation is the tendency for people to perform better on simple tasks when they are in the presence of others. None of these terms accurately describe the situation described in the question.