Social Facilitation

Definition

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

Analogy

Imagine you're playing a video game at home alone versus at a party with friends watching. You might find yourself performing better at the party because your friends' presence motivates you to do well - that's social facilitation!

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

Study and Research Findings

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.