Chapter 14, Problem 8FI

Summary Introduction

Introduction

Social facilitation refers to the idea that a person's individual performance is impacted when in the presence of others. Being part of a group of people behaving similarly encourages the individual to behave that way as well. This may be due to increased motivation or social arousal. Social facilitation is generally seen to be a positive; however, this is not always the case. Simple, routine tasks tend to be even simpler when in this state of increased arousal. On the other hand, complex, difficult tasks may become even more difficult in the presence of others.