Social facilitation is when the presence of others enhances performance on easy or familiar tasks and reduces performance on hard or unfamiliar tasks (Zajon, Heingartner, & Herman, 1969). Furthermore, the evaluation apprehension theory states that this process is not completely universal, but only holds true when in the presence of others who are evaluating the performance (Geen, 1991; Henchy & Glass, 1968). Working on math problems in front of a class, presenting projects, and even playing video games have caused me to feel the effects of social facilitation. However, the two examples that I can remember clearly in my mind in which I experienced a negative effect and a positive effect was during a volleyball game at camp and during a piano performance.
In high school I would always go with my church youth group to summer camp, Super Summer, either as a camper or a camp counselor. Unfortunately, with summer camp comes sports, and I am not incredibly coordinated when it comes to playing them. I always at least try, but eventually it is better for everyone if I just watch and cheer on the team than actually play. :) After arriving at this particular camp, everyone is split up from their youth groups and put into a small group (usually 8-12 people who are in your grade) for the week so that you are not with anyone you have ever met before (very nerve-racking at first, but it was fun). Later in the week, all of the groups compete against each other in games and sports. One of the rotations that we had to play my first year at this camp was a weird form of volleyball in which there were four nets set up like an axis and you had to play against three other teams. I'm already bad at playing volleyball so putting me in an even more unfamiliar situation was a bad idea. Not only was I worried about playing the game, but I was worried about being watched by the people in my group who I had just met and the small audience of people who were either just watching or waiting for their team's next rotation. To make a long story short I completely missed the ball that was coming toward me and end up getting hit in the face. Now, I'm not always that bad at volleyball; it was just a time when social facilitation effects were not in my favor.
Another activity that I participated in before coming to college was playing the piano. I was not amazing, but I think it is safe to say that I was pretty good. Before competitions and recitals, one of my piano teachers would make us play the pieces to be performed repeatedly and eventually learn them so that we could play without music. I loved playing the piano and although at first they were difficult, after practicing for so long the pieces of music that I would have to perform became familiar and easy. Most performances were either played in front of parents, other performers, and/or judges, but social facilitation benefited me because I remember that I always felt that I played my best when performing than when alone.
Geen, R. G. (1991). Social motivation. Annual Review of Psychology, 42, 377-399.
Henchy, T., & Glass, D. C. (1968). Evaluation apprehension and the social facilitation of dominant and subordinate responses. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 10, 446-454.
Zajonc, R. B., Heingartner, A., & Herman, E. M. (1969). Social enhancement and impairment of performance in the cockroach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 29, 703-709.
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As weird as it sounds, I have experienced both of your examples firsthand! When I was in junior high, I was eager to try out every sport available. I'm not the most athletic person in the world, but I still gave each sport a shot. Soccer, unfortunately, was a complete and utter failure for me. The first day I played on a team, I suddenly realized I was surrounded by kids who had been playing since they could walk and that I did not have the faintest idea about what I was doing. With all of the worrying I was doing, my coordination flat-lined and I was trying just to follow the ball. Unfortunately, knowing that coaches, teammates, and the crowd were watching (and evaluating me) did not help me notice a soccer ball hurtling at my head. Due to some miracle, the soccer ball ricocheted off of my face and into the goal. I was escorted off the field with a very bloody nose and the decision to never play soccer again. Glad your experience wasn't as traumatic.
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