Sunday, October 13, 2013
What is social facilitation? How has the definition of social facilitation evolved?
Social facilitation is the strengthening of an individual's dominant responses in the presence of other individuals (Myers, 2010). It is the effect that other individuals have on an individual as he or she completes a task. Psychologist Norman Triplett, who began studying social facilitation in 1898, thought the presence of other individuals increased another individual's performance when completing tasks. Triplett who had an interest in bicycle racing, observed the times of cyclists racing and noticed that the racing times ocurred faster when cyclists raced together instead of separately and against a clock (Myers, 2010). The definition of social facilitation has definitely evolved. The definition evolved from the tendency of individuals performing well-learned or simple tasks better when other individuals are present, to the strengthening of an individual's dominant responses in the presence of other individuals (Myers, 2010).