Analysis of Social Facilitation: Theory, Media Example & Study

This essay delves into the concept of social facilitation, examining how the presence of others impacts individual performance, both positively and negatively. It begins by defining social facilitation and then analyzes it through the lens of a clip from the movie 'Bring It On,' where cheerleading auditions showcase varying reactions to performing in front of an audience. Some candidates thrive under pressure, while others falter due to nervousness. This fictional example is contrasted with a study involving undergraduates dressing in familiar and unfamiliar clothing, which suggests that the mere presence of others can enhance performance. The essay analyzes these contrasting effects, highlighting how evaluation apprehension can lead to both improved and impaired performance. It concludes by reinforcing the idea that social facilitation can push individuals beyond their usual capabilities, as demonstrated by a standout audition performance. The essay also includes an exam question to test understanding of the principles discussed.

SOCIAL FACILITATION:
BOON OR CURSE

SOCIAL FACILITATION
Social facilitation is the changes in a person’s performance when
they perform in a group or in front of an audience (Guerin, 2010).
Performance or productivity of a person is increased when he or
she performs in the presence of others
Another aspect of the theory presents that the idea of being
judged makes the performer nervous of anxious
the anxiousness can enhance the performance, while in other
cases it can also lead to poor exhibits
The purpose of this paper is to explore the theory of social
facilitation with regards to a fiction example and analyse the same
against a study conducted

FICTION MEDIA EXAMPLE
The fiction example is a small clip taken from the movie ‘Bring It
On’
in it a group of cheerleaders are auditioning different candidates
who can join their cheer leader group.
Throughout the audition process, we see various girls performing
in front of the group.
While some are very confident, there are also cases where the
candidate is extremely nervous and gives a poor performance.

THE STUDY
In a study, forty-five under graduates male were observed and
timed while they dressed into familiar and unfamiliar clothing
results indicate that just the presence of others is adequate to
enhance the performance of a person.
Sanders & Baron have substantiated the fact that the presence of
others or the fact that one is being evaluated tends to make the
performer conscious and distract from the performance

ANALYSIS
The fiction clip presented contrasting effect of social facilitation process
Performing in front of the cheerleaders made the candidates nervous and they performed
poorly
However, in one particular case, the last girl performed fantastically and in fact went
beyond her capability of a gymnast and outperformed even the cheerleaders
The fiction clip corroborate that the presence of others is adequate to enhance the
performance of a person
It also goes on to confirm the fact that being evaluated tends to make the performer
conscious and distract from the performance
The candidates were nervous and anxious about being judged
Social facilitation principle reinstates that one also goes beyond their usual self and
enhance their productivity
The last girl performed outstandingly and was subsequently selected in the audition.

EXAM QUESTION
Social Facilitation tend to influence performance of a person in
public. Choose the correct level of influence from the list below:
Enhances the performance level
Decrease the level of performance
Make the performer tense when being evaluated, leading to poor
exhibit
Confirm to the group dynamic

REFERENCES
Guerin, B. (2010). Social facilitation. The Corsini Encyclopedia of
Psychology, 1-2.
Markus, H. (1978). The effect of mere presence on social facilitation: An
unobtrusive test. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 14(4), 389-397.
McKinney, M., Gatchel, R. and Paulus, P. (1983). The Effects of Audience
Size on High and Low Speech-Anxious Subjects During an Actual Speaking
Task. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 4(1), pp.73-87.
ScienceAid. (2019). Social Facilitation: Drive Theory, Evaluation
Apprehension, Distraction Conflict - ScienceAid. [online] Available at:
https://scienceaid.net/psychology/social/facilitation.html [Accessed 16 Mar.
2019].
YouTube. (2019). Bring It On Cheerleading tryouts. [online] Available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtFBqz-
4VyQ&index=1&list=PLGGd6wL1FevId4vmiNuWZwFzjc_Fxr-vU [Accessed 15
Mar. 2019].