Which of the following scenarios best illustrates the effect of social facilitation in social psychology?

• A. A person runs faster when competing in a race with others than when running alone.
• B. A person chooses to conform to a group's opinion even when they disagree.
• C. A person helps a stranger because they see others doing the same.
• D. A person performs worse on a complex math problem when others are watching.

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the concept of social facilitation: it refers to the tendency for people to perform better on simple or well-practiced tasks when in the presence of others.
2. Identify the key element in each scenario: social facilitation involves improved performance due to the presence of others, not conformity, helping behavior, or performance decline.
3. Analyze the first scenario: a person runs faster when competing with others than when alone, which shows improved performance due to others' presence.
4. Compare with other scenarios: conformity involves changing opinions, helping behavior relates to social influence on altruism, and performing worse on complex tasks relates to social inhibition, not facilitation.
5. Conclude that the scenario illustrating social facilitation is the one where performance improves (running faster) in the presence of others.