Question 1

Research by Zajonc et al. (1969) in which cockroaches run in simple or complex mazes either alone, in pairs, or with an audience provides support for which explanation of social facilitation?

Accepted Answer

The mere presence theory. This study found that the presence of an audience (whether the audience was roaches or other cockroaches) increased the speed at which the cockroaches completed the maze, supporting the idea that the mere presence of others can enhance an individual's performance on a simple task.

Question 2

The distraction-conflict explanation for social facilitation suggests that

Accepted Answer

The answer of The distraction-conflict explanation for social facilitation suggests...

Question 3

The facilitation of the dominant response from increased arousal will tend to

Accepted Answer

This response pattern is known as the Yerkes-Dodson law, where moderate arousal leads to optimal performance on easy tasks, but too high arousal leads to decreased performance on difficult tasks. Thus, the facilitation of the dominant response from increased arousal will make easy tasks easier but difficult tasks more challenging.

Question 4

The tendency for the presence of other people to increase performance on easy tasks and impair performance on difficult tasks is known as

Accepted Answer

The tendency for the presence of other people to increase performance on easy tasks and impair performance on difficult tasks is known as social facilitation. Social loafing refers to the tendency of individuals to exert less effort in a group setting, while group polarization refers to the tendency for group discussion to shift individual attitudes in the direction of the group's dominant opinion. Groupthink refers to the phenomenon in which group members prioritize harmony and conformity over rational decision-making. None of these definitions match the situation described in the question except for social facilitation.

Question 5

Cottrell et al. (1968) found that dominant responses were no more frequent among people working in the presence of blindfolded others than among people working alone. This finding is consistent with which theory of social facilitation?

Accepted Answer

The evaluation apprehension theory suggests that the presence of others leads to increased arousal and dominant responses only when individuals feel they are being evaluated. Since the others were blindfolded, there was no evaluation apprehension, aligning with the findings.

Question 6

Ingham (1974) asked participants to pull on a rope and found that participants pulled almost 20% harder when they thought they were pulling alone than when they thought they were part of a group. This finding best illustrates

Accepted Answer

This finding illustrates social loafing, which is the tendency for individuals to exert less effort when they are part of a group compared to when they are working alone.

Question 7

According to the theory of social facilitation, the presence of others should lead to all except for which of the following?

Accepted Answer

According to social facilitation theory, the presence of others tends to increase physiological arousal, which in turn strengthens the dominant (most likely) response. This means that performance on easy tasks may be improved, but performance on difficult tasks may be hindered. However, the theory does not suggest that the presence of others leads to more carefully deliberated behavior. In fact, the opposite may be true as people may feel pressured to act quickly and conform to the behavior of others in social situations.

Question 8

Zajonc's model for how the presence of others influences individual performance is known as social facilitation. "Facilitation" refers to the fact that the presence of others facilitates a performer's

Accepted Answer

The answer of Zajonc's model for how the presence of...

Question 9

Your psychology professor calls you in front of the class and asks you to answer practice exam questions in front of everyone. You find the questions to be easy. According to the model of social ________, you should perform ________ than you would if you had worked on the questions alone.

Accepted Answer

The model of social facilitation predicts that the presence of others can enhance performance on simple or well-learned tasks, such as answering easy practice exam questions. This is because the arousal created by the presence of others can strengthen dominant responses, leading to improved performance. Therefore, you should perform better than you would if you had worked on the questions alone. This is different from social loafing, where the presence of others can lead to a decrease in individual effort and performance on group tasks.

Question 10

According to the model of ________, when the presence of others is physiologically arousing, a person's performance tends to ________ on a task that is difficult.

Accepted Answer

Social facilitation theory suggests that the presence of others leads to increased arousal, which can enhance performance on simple tasks but impair performance on complex or difficult tasks.

Question 11

Gardner and Knowles (2008) asked participants to complete tasks in front of a picture of a favorite TV character and found that

Accepted Answer

Gardner and Knowles found that social facilitation occurred in the presence of a favorite TV character, even though no other actual people were present. This suggests that the mere presence of a character can have a similar effect to the presence of other people.

Question 12

Cross-cultural research suggests that when individuals fail to carry their own share of the weight for the group

Accepted Answer

Cross-cultural research suggests that when individuals fail to carry their own share of the weight for the group, cohesiveness suffers more in groups from collectivistic cultures. This may be because collectivist cultures place more emphasis on group harmony and interdependence, and therefore non-contributing members are viewed as a disruption to the overall functioning of the group.

Question 13

According to Zajonc's model of social facilitation, the three steps in determining the influence of the presence of others on performance are

Accepted Answer

Zajonc's model of social facilitation proposes that the presence of others can influence performance through three steps: arousal, dominant response, and task difficulty. Arousal refers to the increase in physiological and psychological activity that occurs when others are present. The dominant response is the most likely or habitual response to a given task, and when arousal is high, the dominant response is more likely to be expressed. Finally, task difficulty determines whether the dominant response will enhance or impair performance. Easy or well-learned tasks are more likely to be facilitated by the dominant response, while difficult or novel tasks are more likely to be impaired.

Question 14

All of the following accounts have been proposed to explain social facilitation except

Accepted Answer

The accounts proposed to explain social facilitation are the mere presence of others, apprehension about being evaluated, and distraction creating attentional conflict. The tendency for people to feel less accountable in a group context is not a proposed account for social facilitation.

Question 15

According to Zajonc, social facilitation

Accepted Answer

According to Zajonc, social facilitation occurs as a result of the presence of other individuals, indicating that the physical immediacy of others is important for social facilitation to occur.

Question 16

Ringelmann's research in the 1880s demonstrated that

Accepted Answer

Ringelmann conducted experiments in which individuals pulled on a rope either alone or as part of a group. He found that when working in a group, individuals exerted less effort than they would if working alone, leading to the phenomenon known as social loafing.

Question 17

In one of the earliest social psychological experiments, Triplett (1898) had children wind fishing reels as quickly as they could. He found that

Accepted Answer

Triplett's experiment found that the children were faster when working next to another child rather than alone, indicating the presence of co-action effects or social facilitation.

Question 18

Better performance by an individual on difficult tasks in the presence of others can be encouraged the most when the individual's arousal level is _____ and evaluation pressure on the individual is _____.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Better performance by an individual on difficult...

Question 19

According to research by Nibler and Harris (2003), which of the following groups is most likely to experience better performance when group members feel free to disagree with one another?

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to research by Nibler and Harris...

Question 20

Vladimir, a basketball novice, makes about 60 percent of his free throws when practicing alone. However, when playing with his friends, he only makes about 30 percent of his free throws. This decrease is most likely the result of

Accepted Answer

The answer of Vladimir, a basketball novice, makes about 60...

Quiz 8: Group Processes