Understanding Social Facilitation and Inhibition:
- shahhian
- Jun 29
- 1 min read
Social Facilitation and Social Inhibition are concepts from social psychology that describe how the presence of others affects an individual’s performance.
1. Social Facilitation
Definition: Social facilitation refers to the improvement in performance on simple or well-learned tasks when others are present.
Key Points:
Cyclists performed better when racing against others).
The presence of others increases physiological arousal.
Arousal enhances the dominant response — the behavior most likely to occur.
Examples:
A skilled pianist performing better in front of an audience.
A runner improving their speed during a competition.
2. Social Inhibition
Definition: Social inhibition refers to the worsening of performance on complex or unfamiliar tasks when others are present.
Key Points:
Increased arousal strengthens the dominant response, which is often incorrect for new or difficult tasks.
The presence of others creates evaluation apprehension (fear of being judged), which can impair performance.
Examples:
A student making more mistakes while solving a difficult math problem in front of classmates.
A novice speaker forgetting their lines during a public speech.
Theory of Social Facilitation
Presence of others → Increased arousal → Enhanced dominant response:
If task is easy or well-practiced → Performance improves.
If task is hard or unfamiliar → Performance worsens.
Summary Chart:
Task Type Presence of Others Effect Simple/Familiar Yes Social Facilitation ↑Complex/Unfamiliar Yes Social Inhibition ↓
Shervan K Shahhian