Social Facilitatoin

Social Facilitatoin

  • Submitted By: larark
  • Date Submitted: 05/06/2010 8:49 AM
  • Category: Social Issues
  • Words: 1700
  • Page: 7
  • Views: 357

Student ID Number: 4080541
Module Code: C81IND
Assignment Title: Do we perform better or worse in front of an audience? Critically examine theories of group productivity.
Tutor: Christina Tatalia
Submission Date: 08/12/08

Do we perform better or worse in front of an audience? Critically examine theories of group productivity.
Theories of social influence regard an individual’s presence in a group interacting, and changing one’s behaviour to be the main factor affecting group productivity. Power over individuals within a group can affect one’s behaviour in many different ways; actions of certain members can have extreme effect’s on the behaviour of another individual in the group. The process of group decision and reaction has become increasingly important to social psychologists when researching group productivity individual’s communication and independence is observed (Wexler, 1983). The two main theories of group productivity present contrasting views as to how a group affects an individual’s performance. Social facilitation strives on the view that working within a group lifts group performance, whereas the social loafing theory views the individual’s to use minimal effort when working collectively in a group than working by themselves. According to Zajonc depending on the situation an individual is in, it can hinder or enhance performance, thus producing different arousal consequences to one’s drive.
When performing in front of an audience people react in different ways, depending on one’s personality it may enhance their performance. According to the social facilitation theory the presence of others results in performing better in simple tasks. It is hard to specifically define social facilitation as not all external and internal factors are completely eliminated when a task is performed, such as reinforcement, a model proposed by (Byrne & Clore) where the participant strives of positive rewards from the rest of the group. It is not apparent what...

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