Understanding Social Facilitation Theory

What is the main idea behind social facilitation theory?

• People perform the same regardless of the audience.

• People perform worse in front of an audience.

• People perform better when they are alone.

• People perform better in the presence of others.

Who was the first to observe the phenomenon that led to social facilitation theory?

• Joseph Pessin

• Norman Triplett

• James Michaels

• Robert Zajonc

What was the task used in Norman Triplett's experiment to test social facilitation?

• Cycling in a group

• Memorizing words

• Winding up fishing line

• Running a marathon

What did Joseph Pessin's study reveal about social facilitation?

• People perform better when alone.

• People perform better in groups.

• People perform worse in groups.

• People perform the same in groups and alone.

What does activation theory suggest about task difficulty and social facilitation?

• Task difficulty does not affect performance.

• Easy tasks are performed better in groups.

• Difficult tasks are performed better in groups.

• Easy tasks are performed worse in groups.

What is social inhibition?

• Performing better in front of an audience.

• Performing worse in front of an audience.

• Performing the same regardless of the audience.

• Performing better when alone.

How can social facilitation theory be applied to improve personal performance?

• Avoiding all social interactions.

• Ignoring the presence of others.

• Incorporating co-actors or an audience.

• Practicing only in isolation.

What is a suggested method to use social facilitation for achieving goals?

• Joining a club or group activity.

• Practicing alone in a quiet room.

• Avoiding public performances.

• Ignoring feedback from others.

What might be a reason teams perform better at home games?

• They are unfamiliar with the venue.

• They dislike traveling.

• They have less pressure to perform.

• They appreciate the support of local fans.

What should individuals do if they perform poorly in front of others?

• Practice alone to build skills.

• Perform only in front of large audiences.

• Stop practicing the task.

• Ignore their performance issues.