Do you know what social facilitation is?

Social facilitation arises when we work or we are more competent when we are in the company of others. For example, the mere presence of someone by our side makes us work much harder. It is a type of experience that can manifest itself in multiple ways and that psychology has been studying for decades.

Sometimes, we can be more effective and decisive by mere competitiveness. Others, we try to do our tasks as well as possible to demonstrate our competence. For example, children need the closeness and supervision of adults to guide them in their learning and to have those figures available when they need help.

We cannot forget that, as Aristotle said, human beings are social creatures by nature. People need each other in infinite ways, and not just to survive.. Also to learn, to develop, to create an image of ourselves… Perhaps that is why the phenomenon of social facilitation is more complex and fascinating than it may seem.

Social facilitation: definition, history and typologies

Social facilitation defines a tendency in humans to perform a simple task much better when being observed or surrounded by other people. In a way, this is something we have all experienced. We rarely act in the same way when alone as in company. What is striking is how this phenomenon affects our performance.

The first time this fact was described was in 1898. It was the psychologist Norman Triplett who developed this concept after observing how cyclists showed better times in a group than alone. After appreciating this reality in the world of sports, he also wanted to investigate in the children’s sphere, seeing that, indeed, the same results were repeated in the little ones…

It was enough to propose an activity to see how in a group they were more effective than in isolation. Now, it was not until 1965 when another psychologist, Dr. Robert Zajonc, conducted a more in-depth study on social facilitation. What this researcher contributed allowed us to go one step further.

According to him, What happens when we work in a group is that we emit what is known as a “dominant response.” That is, stimulation from others increases the probability that an individual will react more efficiently, because it is what is expected of him or her.

Types of social facilitation

It is not difficult to deduce that there are various types of social facilitation. It is enough to remember all those times when we are surrounded by people and we must carry out a task to understand that motivations change depending on the context.

We analyze it.

Audience effect. Social facilitation often manifests itself as the effect of an audience and an example of this is that of the musician who plays in front of his audience. His objective is to please, to demonstrate his worth, to show how competent he is. Coercion effect. In this context, the objective is not so much to please or please, but to demonstrate that we are as valid or more valid than those around us. In the case of coercion, processes such as competitiveness and group pressure are combined.Social learning. We cannot talk about social facilitation without highlighting the relevance of this process in learning. The presence of a group allows us to imitate the work of others to receive reinforcements. of these figures to consolidate new skills.

Theories that explain the phenomenon of facilitation

We have already mentioned Robert Zajonc’s dominant response theory. That is, the phenomenon of facilitation because mere psychosocial stimulation drives us to issue a more effective and competent response.

Now, it is interesting to know that there are other models that also reveal what is behind this interesting mechanism of social facilitation.

Evaluation apprehension hypothesis. This theory says that people, in reality, feel pressured by the fear of being evaluated by others. Since we do not want to “look bad” in the eyes of others, we always try to give the best of ourselves.Warning hypothesis. According to this approach, when we feel observed we become alert and this drives us to try to be more competent.Self-presentation theory. People base our self-concept based on the image we show to others. If I strive to always do my best for those around me and who observe me, they will like me. And that social reinforcement will allow me to have a more positive view of myself.

The opposite of facilitation: social inhibition (your presence blocks me)

At this point it is important to make a clarification. It is difficult to talk about social facilitation if we do not also name its opposite experience: social inhibition. That which we have all obviously experienced with high frequency.

It was the psychologist Gordon Allport who spoke of inhibiting effect that sometimes has to execute a task in the company of others. Knowing that we are being watched is not something pleasant or positive for everyone.

It is a fact that many people work or perform better alone than in company. That is to say, Feeling watched, being in a group or having an audience can inhibit us and make it difficult for us to perform.. Now, Robert Zajonc made a point about this.

On average, when what we have to do is simple, we perform better when we are in a group. However, If the activity has a certain difficulty, some people will feel blocked. In this aspect, personality and character variables are the ones that determine us the most.

There are those who are more competitive, there are those who appreciate group work and there are undoubtedly those who work better in their own exclusive company… What is your case?

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