Social Facilitation - Essay Example

?Social Facilitation Introduction The mind acts in ways that affect the personality of an individual. There are various personalities that are commonin a natural setting. These personalities are often manifested in actions or performance. On the other hand, these actions or behaviors are said to pose a problem at some point although it is already considered a natural act for humans. However, there are studies that signify the core reasons for these actions. Social facilitation is one social behavior that reflects a person’s behavior with regard to performance or action. This can be considered a behavior brought about a certain situation. This paper aims to discuss how social facilitation operates, and whether or not social facilitation can be controlled. The Nature of Social Facilitation Social Facilitation is defined as an interpretation that performance of people is better when they are assigned to work on simple task but worse on difficult tasks when they are to do it in front of an audience such as co-workers (Guerin, 1993; Zajonc, 1965 as cited in Guerin, 1999). However, the definition of social facilitation revolves around change due to the development of social psychology. Nevertheless, it has always been focused on social behavior (Guerin, 1993). The issue on social facilitation has been an old phenomena, and it is said to date back as early as 1897 during the experiment of Triplette on “pacing and competition.” This experiment investigates the outcome of behavior when developed from the “presence of other individuals.” It is said that motor feedback are susceptible to social facilitation. There were experiments that prove that performance is improved and stimulated when there is an audience present (Zajone, 1965, p. 269). However, some may feel shy to do task in the presence of other people regardless if the task is relatively easy, or the person to perform is known to do it better. It is normal for humans to respond to stimulus in the course of their action. It only becomes a problem when an individual is unable to perform well under some circumstances such as having someone around as an audience. How Social Facilitation Operates Social facilitation basically operates in the presence of a stimulus and can occur in both humans and other animal species. This stimulus would primarily come from an audience. The ascendancy of the audience is said to be stimulated through “direct sensory, supraliminal, and subliminal perception.” The stimuli would be distributed and would through “any of 4 Pathways.” The first considerable pathway would be “from the fore center to the periphery,” from the most considerable attitudes or from individuals who are susceptible in dominating others. Social facilitation is also said to be associated with “suggestion” since it intensifies effects from one suggestion to another (Callaghan, 1940, pp. 643-656). People have the tendency to feel conscious or intimidate on their performance, especially when a suggestion from an audience or feedback is given. This audience could either be co-workers, boss of the company, friends or alike. There may seem to be advantages and disadvantages of social facilitated behavior. A behavior that is said to be socially facilitated can enhance “group synchrony” or simultaneous actions (Clayton, 1978, pp. 373-392). On the other hand, there are known disadvantages of social facilitation in humans. The behavior has the tendency to provide a diminished performance in the presence of an audience. This is usually manifested in hard tasks that can increase dilemma and intimidation to the person involved in the action. There are psychological structures that are involved in social facilitation. This can be referred to as the ones that can trigger such behavior. One of these structures is arousal, which can be associated to stimuli. Arousal is triggered in the presences of the stimuli such as the audience. Individuals are keener to details and attention in the presence of people they do not know. There are known origins of arousal. One of which is attention which comprises physical preoccupation and the susceptibility to interference that can happen between the audience and the performance. Another origin would be “social evaluation processes,” which is derived from the “fear” on conducting evaluations and others (“Social Facilitation,” 2006). According to Changing Minds Organization (n.d.), an individual is said to be motivated in the presence of an audience in doing a simple task or something that the individual is known to do good in such task. On the other hand, it is the other way around when the individual is caught on a complex task. It is assumed that humans would literally prefer a slow but sure performance on complex task rather than ending up doing the wrong way. Studies and Experiments on Social Facilitation Several studies were done to determine the causes and variations of social facilitation. A study of social facilitation in association to intelligence was done to compare aspects of their performance or work. This experiment considered competition, and there were differences on “amount and accuracy” of performance based on the availability of an audience (Anderson, 1929, pp. 874-881). A group witnessed a pool match initiated by some students and one of the facilitator of the experiment concluded that the competent players did well, but the amateurs did not (Changing Minds, n.d.). Another experiment was done by utilizing a game that composed of teams. The essence of the game was for the players to make options. The game was done with an audience, and it was concluded that the options of the players preferred the audience choices. This was said to intensify since the audience along with the players were already able to predict the result of the play (Charness, Rigotti & Rustichini, 2003). In simple terms, an experiment can be easily done by coming up with an individual to do a simple task in the presence of a group. The individual is expected to do well and fast enough. On the other hand, an individual given a complex task with an audience present would be expected to feel intimidation and pressure. Dealing with Social Facilitation Social facilitation may or may not be controlled in some way. According to Dolinski (n.d.), a variety of experiments and studies assumed that social facilitation depends on level of action or performance and degree of complexity on the given task. However, each study and research has their own significant explanation on the reasons why social facilitation occurs and if this can be controlled or not. Nevertheless, social facilitation is said to be essential for individuals that have “inferiority complex” as this creates confidence and faith to one’s self (“Social facilitation understanding, “n.d.). Both the advantages and disadvantages of social facilitation can be considered challenges and threats in some aspects. It is already concluded that the presence of an audience increases the motivation to perform, and that good performance provides recognition as well as praise. On the other hand, a relatively poor performance will lead to criticisms. The motivation of the group to perform well on a relatively simple task in front of an audience is the challenge they have to face. The pressure on performing for a complex task in front of an audience is their threat. These challenges and threats vary from each situation depending on the aspects that of social facilitation (Seta & Sena, 1995 as cited in Blascovich, Mendes, Hunter, & Salomon, 1999). Dealing with social facilitation would vary from the effects of such behavior in every individual. This may or may not provide both the positive and negative effects depending on the situation. Conclusion Social facilitation is considered a typical behavior in humans. This has been observed significantly on other animals’ species as well, though studies show the need for further investigation and relevance. This behavior is said to be apparent in the presence of others. A person that is assigned to work on something that is relatively easy tends to be motivated to do a better performance in the presence of others. The individual then considers this as a challenging task and that a good performance would mean recognition. On the other hand, a person assigned to do a difficult task in an audience, considers the audience a threat and that failure is probable in such situation. Furthermore, criticisms are apparent and poor performance is noted. Experiments and studies prove the basis for social facilitation as well as the effects of such. Some studies argue that the basis for social facilitation depends on the degree of performance and level of complexity. Advantages are also laid out for social facilitation, which is ideal for persons having inferiority complex. Social facilitation operates basically through the stimuli; the stimuli would then be converted to arousal, which is one of the major mechanisms of social facilitation. Social facilitation is always expected in every individual. Dealing or controlling such behavior would only depend on the severity of effects as well as perceptions of the persons involved in the said performance. Nevertheless, social facilitation occurs because it is considered part of the natural behavior of humans, and the perception of it would only vary from the situation and its complexities. References Anderson, A.C. (1929). An experimental study of "social facilitation" as affected by "intelligence." American Journal of Sociology, 34. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/2765351 Blascovich, J., Mendes, W. B., Hunter, S. B., & Salomon, K. (1999). Social "facilitation" as challenge and threat. Journal of personality and social psychology, 77 (1). Retrieved from http://ucsf.academia.edu/WendyMendes/Papers/225723/ Social_Facilitation_As_Challenge_and_Threat Callaghan, J. C. (1940). Social facilitation in persuasion. Quarterly Journal of Speech, 26, 643-656. doi: 10.1080/00335634009380608 Changing Minds Organization. (n.d.). Social facilitation. Retrieved from http://changingminds.org/explanations/theories/social_facilitation.htm Charness, G., Rigotti, L., & Rustichini, A. (2003). They are watching you: Social facilitation in institutions [PDF document]. Retrieved from http://www.econ.ucsb.edu/papers/wp16-03.pdf Clayton, D. (1978). Socially facilitated behavior. The Quarterly review of biology, 53. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/2826580 Dolinski, D. (n.d.). Social influence. Psychology, 3. Retrieved from http://www.eolss.net/Sample-Chapters/C04/E6-27-06-02.pdf Guerin, B. (1993). Social facilitation. In The early history of social fascilitation (2). Retrieved from http://ebooks.cambridge.org/chapter.jsf?bid=CBO9780511628214&cid=CBO9780511628214A009 Guerin, B. (1999). Social behaviors as determined by different arrangements of social consequences: Social loafing, social facilitation, deindividuation, and a modified social loafing. The Psychological Record, 49 (4), 565. Social facilitation. (2006). [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://www.ilr.cornell.edu Social facilitation: Understanding how social facilitation influence work performance. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://socialfacilitation.org/ Zajone, R. (1965). Social facilitation. Science, 149, 69-274. doi: 10.1126/science.149.3681.269 Read More