In both social facilitation and social impairment, the key factor is ________.

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In both social facilitation and social impairment, the key factor is arousal. In social facilitation, the presence of others enhances arousal and can improve performance on simple or well-learned tasks, but can hinder performance on complex or new tasks. In social impairment, the presence of others can increase arousal to the point of distraction or anxiety, leading to decreased performance on any task. The other factors listed (time, number of people, and task difficulty) may have some influence but are not the key factor in either phenomenon.

In Both Social Facilitation and Social Impairment, the Key Factor