Which of the following is an example of social facilitation?

• A. A student runs faster when competing in a race with others than when running alone.
• B. A group makes a riskier decision together than any individual would alone.
• C. An individual conforms to the opinions of a group even when they disagree.
• D. A person performs worse on a complex math problem when others are watching.

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the concept of social facilitation. Social facilitation refers to the tendency for people to perform differently when in the presence of others compared to when they are alone. Typically, performance on simple or well-practiced tasks improves, while performance on complex or new tasks may decline.
2. Step 2: Identify the key feature of social facilitation in the options: improved performance on a task due to the presence of others.
3. Step 3: Analyze each option to see if it matches this feature: - Option 1: A student runs faster when competing with others than alone (improved performance in presence of others). - Option 2: A group makes a riskier decision together (group decision-making, not individual performance change). - Option 3: An individual conforms to group opinions (conformity, not performance change). - Option 4: A person performs worse on a complex math problem when others watch (social inhibition, opposite of facilitation).
4. Step 4: Conclude that the example illustrating social facilitation is the one where performance improves in the presence of others, which is the student running faster when competing with others.
5. Step 5: Remember that social facilitation is about the effect of an audience or co-actors on performance, especially on simple or well-learned tasks.