key term - Social Facilitation

Definition

This is the tendency for people to perform better on tasks in the presence of others than when alone.

Theoretical Perspectives

Social facilitation refers to the phenomenon where individuals perform differently when in the presence of others than when alone, often improving on simple tasks due to increased arousal.

Study And Research Findings

Robert Zajonc's research (1965) is pivotal for social facilitation, demonstrating that the presence of others boosts arousal, which enhances performance on well-learned tasks but may hinder complex new tasks.

Related terms

Audience Effect: The impact that the presence of others (as observers) has on performance.

Co-action Effect: The impact on performance when working alongside others doing the same task.

Evaluation Apprehension Theory: A theory suggesting that people improve their performance due to concern about being judged by others.