Understanding Social Facilitation in Psychology

Lecture Script:

Today, we’re going to explore the concept of social facilitation in psychology. Social facilitation refers to the tendency for people to perform differently when in the presence of others compared to when they are alone. The main idea is that the presence of an audience tends to improve performance on simple tasks but can hinder performance on more complex tasks. For instance, a classic example involves cyclists who tend to ride faster when racing against others rather than against the clock. This phenomenon occurs because the presence of others increases arousal, which enhances the execution of simple or well-learned tasks. However, this heightened arousal can lead to performance anxiety, impairing the execution of tasks that are complex or not well-mastered.

Key Points:

• Social facilitation is the effect of an audience on performance.
• Presence of others improves performance on simple tasks.
• Presence of others can hinder performance on complex tasks.
• Example: Cyclists perform better in races with competitors.
• Increased arousal enhances simple tasks but can impair complex ones.

Sample Answer:

Social facilitation is a psychological concept where people perform differently when observed by others. The main idea is that having an audience can improve performance on simple tasks while hindering it on complex ones. For example, cyclists often ride faster in races with competitors than when they ride alone. This is because the presence of others increases arousal, which helps with easy tasks but may cause anxiety during difficult ones. In conclusion, social facilitation shows how audience presence can both enhance and impair performance, depending on task complexity.

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