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Social facilitation in performance

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Transcription Social facilitation in performance


Social facilitation is one of the oldest and most consistently studied phenomena in social psychology.

It refers to the tendency of people (and some animals) to perform simple or well-learned tasks better when they are in the presence of others, compared to when they perform those same tasks alone.

However, the presence of others can also inhibit performance on complex or novel tasks.

Origins and Early Observations

The concept of social facilitation was first observed by Norman Triplett in the late 19th century, who noticed that cyclists tended to ride faster when racing against others than when racing alone against the clock.

Later studies replicated this effect on a variety of tasks, from reeling in fishing lines to simple math.

These initial findings suggested that the mere presence of co-actors (other people performing the same task) or a passive audience could enhance performance.

Zajonc's Arousal Theory

Robert Zajonc proposed an influential explanation for these seemingly contradictory effects (sometimes it improves, sometimes it worsens performance).

According to his theory, the presence of others increases an individual's physiological arousal.

This increased arousal, in turn, makes it easier to produce dominant responses (those that are more likely, well-learned, or habitual):

  • In simple or well-learned tasks: The dominant response is usually the correct one. Therefore, the increased arousal due to the presence of others improves performance.
  • In complex or novel tasks: The dominant response may be incorrect or ineffective. In this case, the increased arousal due to the presence of others interferes with the learning of new responses or with the performance of difficult tasks, leading to worse performance.

Other Explanations: Evaluation Apprehension and Distraction

Other theorie


social facilitation in performance

Recent publications by social psychology

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