Social facilitation in motor tasks: a review of research and theory

Individual Differences in Social Facilitation

“…In automatic processing, the presence of others focuses attention on the automatic execution of the task, and performance therefore improves. On tasks that require cognitively controlled processes, more attention is required and any attention directed to an audience detracts from successful completion of the task (Strauss, 2002). This diversion of attention explains the decrements in performance of complex tasks in the presence of an observer.…”

“…Zajonc, in later works, and Geen (1980Geen ( , 1991 replaced acquisition of skills with discrimination of tasks into simple and complex. Simple and complex tasks were defined subjectively and sometimes defined as an attribute of the subject -either expert or non-expert performers (Strauss, 2002).…”

“…In this case, the increased drive will facilitate the performance even if not noticed by the individual. Strauss (2002) undertook the problem of defining simple and complex in regard to motor tasks. He classified motor tasks into categories based on conditioning/coordination with those requiring stamina, power and speed as conditional abilities and those requiring only speed and coordination as coordinating abilities.…”

“…Motor tasks placing demands on coordination and requiring practice such as driving and cycling demand more attention when first performed. Performance in this case is determined by the degree of automaticity and the amount of cognitive load needed to perform the task before it becomes more automatic (Strauss, 2002). Strauss found that studies which employed conditioning abilities are more likely to result in performance facilitation in the presence of others while those placing demands on coordination need to be learned showed performance impairment until the task is learned by the individual.…”

“…Attentional mechanisms can certainly explain the differences in performances on tasks and offer a better definition of "simple" and "complex" -simple being those that require little attention and are nearly automatic and utilize subcortical processing, and complex being those that require more attention and are cognitively controlled. However, this would also depending upon a person's degree of automaticity in performing the task, it may or may not be perceived as "simple" (Strauss, 2002). In addition, an individual's personality orientation may affect the executive processing such that those with a certain neurologic make-up may be more susceptible to attentional switching.…”