Performing a task in the presence of others versus alone: An exploration of the social facilitation theory, according to cognitive and behavioural perspectives

Abstract

This empirical study deals with the theory of social facilitation. It presents and discusses the idea of performing a task in an audience versus a non-audience condition. To understand the hypothesis of the theory, there was conducted a within-participants study. Participants were asked to complete a star-drawing task by using their non-dominant hand. Half of participants completed the task in the observed condition and half of them in the non-observed one. Then, conditions were counter-performed, in order participants to complete the task in both ways.

Through this task has been questioned the prediction how people perform in both conditions in terms of a cognitive-behavioural framework, i.e. how and whether the task performed was subject to cognitive elements of choice (decision-making) and vice versa. People in the observed condition were more motivated to complete the task –thereby the element of choice as a behaviour affecting decision-making-, than in the non-observed. The error ratings, participants had scored in both conditions, distinguish that people tend to achieve more error scores when performing a task in the presence of others, i.e. when observed by others and what effect that has on decision-making; while they score lower in the non-presence condition, meaning that decision-making as a cognitive element of choice is an important aspect before a particular action to be performed. Also, participants perform better if that is a known task –decision-making as an element one to make a stable cognitive choice-, instead of a novel or complex one –where cognitive choice could be affected by performance observation.