In social psychology, when Takira is speaking to an audience who is familiar with her, what is the expected effect on her performance according to the social facilitation theory?

• A. Her performance is likely to decline because familiarity leads to distraction.
• B. Her performance is likely to improve due to increased comfort and confidence.
• C. She will experience more anxiety and perform worse than with an unfamiliar audience.
• D. Her performance will remain unchanged regardless of audience familiarity.

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the core concept of social facilitation theory, which suggests that the presence of others can influence an individual's performance on tasks.
2. Recognize that social facilitation theory predicts improved performance on well-learned or simple tasks when an audience is present, due to increased arousal.
3. Consider the role of audience familiarity: when the audience is familiar, the individual may feel more comfortable and confident, which can enhance performance.
4. Contrast this with the idea that unfamiliar audiences might increase anxiety, potentially impairing performance, especially on complex or new tasks.
5. Conclude that according to social facilitation theory, Takira's performance is likely to improve when speaking to a familiar audience because the increased comfort and confidence enhance her ability to perform.