US High School Psychology Practice Exam 2025 – Your All-in-One Guide to Exam Success!

Social facilitation is a concept in psychology that highlights how the presence of others can influence an individual's performance on tasks. Specifically, it refers to the tendency for individuals to perform better on well-learned or simple tasks when they are in the presence of others. This phenomenon is grounded in the idea that the presence of an audience can enhance arousal levels, which can, in turn, improve performance on tasks that are familiar or that one is skilled at performing.

The key aspect of social facilitation is that the effect is primarily positive for tasks that are easy or well-practiced, but not necessarily for complex or challenging tasks, which may actually be hindered by the presence of others due to heightened anxiety or distraction. Understanding this concept sheds light on the dynamics of performance in social situations, reassuring the importance of audience effects in various settings, from sports to performing arts and even in academic scenarios.

In contrast, the other options do not accurately capture the essence of social facilitation. Some may suggest detrimental outcomes, while others imply a different type of influence that does not align with the established definition within social psychology.