Question 1

Sometimes famous performers have horrible final rehearsals in empty auditoriums prior to a big performance, yet they end up having wonderful performances in front of audiences.Why would the presence of others increase performance on a well-rehearsed task, such as musical performance?

Accepted Answer

The presence of an audience can increase physiological arousal, which can enhance performance on a well-rehearsed task such as musical performance. This arousal can lead to increased focus and energy, helping performers to give a more dynamic and engaging performance. Additionally, performers may experience a sense of validation and social facilitation effects, where the presence of others can improve their confidence and motivation to perform well.

Question 2

Your roommate really detests studying in a quiet solitary space.Based on research presented in this chapter, what would you recommend your roommate do while studying for a difficult exam?

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that background noise, such as having the TV on in the background, can improve cognitive performance for certain tasks. However, it is important that the shows being played are not too distracting or engaging, as they can interfere with studying. Therefore, having the TV on in the background with shows where none of the characters are really known is the best option for your roommate. This will provide some noise without being too distracting.

Question 3

Zajonc (1965) wrote an influential article in which he posited a theoretical explanation for the social facilitation effect.Elegantly simple, this explanation included two steps:

Accepted Answer

Zajonc's theory posits that the presence of others causes arousal, which in turn enhances the performance of simple or well-learned tasks and hinders the performance of complex or new tasks.

Question 4

According to your authors, there are three theories that can explain the role of arousal in social facilitation.Which of the following best represents the three theories?

Accepted Answer

The three theories presented by the authors are: (1) others make us alert, (2) apprehension about being evaluated, and (3) others are distracting.

Question 5

Dozens of social-psychological experiments on the topic of social facilitation have employed people and a variety of animals and insects.One consistent finding has emerged from these many studies:

Accepted Answer

The consistent finding that has emerged from studies on social facilitation is that the presence of others enhances performance on simple tasks. This is known as the "social facilitation effect." However, for complex tasks, the presence of others can have a negative impact on performance, known as "social inhibition."

Question 6

Which is the proper order of the processes in Zajonc's explanation for social facilitation?

Accepted Answer

Zajonc's explanation for social facilitation states that the presence of others creates arousal, which enhances the individual's dominant response. Therefore, the correct order is presence of others (stimulus) > arousal (psychological and physiological response) > perform dominant response (behavioral response). Choice A follows this order.

Question 7

Assume that you are playing pool at the student union when several of your buddies surround the table to watch you play.If you are ________ player, you would ________ because of the arousing effects of their presence.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Assume that you are playing pool at...

Question 8

When people or roaches undertake a difficult task, the presence of others ________ performance; when they undertake a simple task, the presence of others ________ performance.

Accepted Answer

The presence of others tends to impair performance on difficult tasks due to increased pressure and distraction, but enhances performance on simple tasks due to increased motivation and arousal, a phenomenon known as social facilitation.

Question 9

One explanation for social facilitation focuses on the role of evaluation apprehension-the anxiety associated with being judged by others-in creating a state of arousal in people.What is the weakness of this explanation?

Accepted Answer

The weakness of the evaluation apprehension explanation for social facilitation is that it does not apply to non-human subjects like cockroaches, which have also been shown to experience social facilitation effects, suggesting that the anxiety of being judged by others cannot fully explain the phenomenon.

Question 10

Research illustrated that even the presence of a(n) ________ impacted performance such that participants did better on ________ tasks and worse on ________ tasks.

Accepted Answer

The presence of a favorite TV character impacted performance such that participants did better on simple tasks and worse on complex tasks.

Question 11

Complete the following analogy regarding social facilitation.Better: ________ :: worse: ________.

Accepted Answer

Social facilitation theory suggests that we perform better on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others, while we perform worse on complex or unfamiliar tasks. Therefore, the better option would be simple, and the worse option would be complex.

Question 12

Social facilitation refers to the tendency of people to perform ________ on simple tasks and ________ on complex tasks when others are present.

Accepted Answer

Social facilitation refers to the improved performance on simple tasks in the presence of others. On more complex tasks, however, the presence of others may lead to distraction or anxiety, resulting in worse performance. Therefore, the best choice is A - better on simple tasks and worse on complex tasks when others are present.

Question 13

The evaluation apprehension explanation for the source of arousal that produces social facilitation posits that ________ leads to increased arousal-and thus to enhanced performance on simple tasks.

Accepted Answer

The evaluation apprehension explanation for the source of arousal that produces social facilitation posits that the presence of others who might judge us leads to increased arousal-and thus to enhanced performance on simple tasks.

Question 14

Baron (1986) has found that flashing lights can cause the same social facilitation effects as the presence of other people.These findings support the idea that ________ is the source of arousal that enhances performance on simple tasks.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Baron (1986) has found that flashing lights...

Question 15

Adele has never driven a car with a manual transmission before-that is, she's never had to decide when to shift gears, push in the clutch, or stop suddenly when the car is in gear.She's just bought a car with manual transmission, and wants to practice driving it before she takes it onto the highway.What should she do?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Adele has never driven a car with...

Question 16

When your roommate enters the room while you're typing an email, it can make you uncomfortable.The roommate isn't judging you, but you may still feel uncomfortable, according to Zajonc, because the roommate's mere presence is

Accepted Answer

Zajonc's theory of social facilitation suggests that the mere presence of others can increase physiological arousal, which can enhance performance on simple or well-learned tasks but impair performance on complex or novel tasks. Therefore, the roommate's mere presence can be arousing even if they are not evaluating or judging the individual.

Question 17

One reason why the presence of others is arousing is that it can be ________, which is a very cognitive explanation as to why people tend to perform worse at more difficult tasks in the presence of others.

Accepted Answer

The presence of others can be distracting, which can explain why people tend to perform worse at more difficult tasks in their presence.

Question 18

Which of the following explanations for social facilitation applies to humans but NOT to cockroaches? Humans are

Accepted Answer

Humans are aroused at the prospect of evaluation, which can enhance or inhibit their performance. This explanation does not apply to cockroaches as they do not have the cognitive ability to evaluate themselves or others.

Question 19

Recall that Zajonc and his colleagues (1969) employed the lowly cockroach in their studies of social facilitation.In the presence of other cockroaches, roaches would run faster down a straightaway to escape a bright light than they would alone, but took longer in the presence of a cockroach audience when the escape route was more complicated (i.e., when they had to run a maze).These findings support the idea that

Accepted Answer

The findings support the idea that the presence of other members of a species elicits the most dominant response, which in the case of a simple task (running down a straightaway) is to perform better, and in the case of a complex task (navigating a maze), is to perform worse. This is consistent with the theory of social facilitation, which suggests that the presence of others can enhance performance on simple tasks but impair performance on complex tasks.

Question 20

Presently, there are three main ideas as to why the presence of others leads to greater arousal.Which of the following is NOT one of the three explanations? The presence of others

Accepted Answer

The three main explanations for why the presence of others leads to greater arousal are: A) makes us vigilant, C) is distracting, and D) leads to evaluation apprehension.

Quiz 9: Group Processes: Influence in Social Groups