Social Facilitation Quiz: How an Audience Changes Performance
This social facilitation quiz looks at why people often perform differently when others are watching. Play 10 interactive questions on Norman Triplett's 1898 cyclists and fishing reels, Robert Zajonc's drive theory, easy versus hard tasks, audience and co-action effects, the cockroach study, evaluation apprehension, distraction-conflict theory and social loafing.
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🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds
Idea
What is social facilitation?
Triplett
Who ran an early study in 1898?
Cyclists
What did Triplett notice about cyclists?
Reels
What did children do in Triplett's experiment?
Zajonc
Which psychologist proposed drive theory in 1965?
Easy
How does an audience affect easy, well-learned tasks?
Hard
How does an audience affect hard, new tasks?
Roaches
Which animals ran mazes in a 1969 study?
Worry
What is evaluation apprehension?
Loafing
What is social loafing?
Your score
0/10
Scroll down to see the explanation for each question.
Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions
- Q1: What is social facilitation?
Answer: Performance changing when others are present
It is a classic topic.
- Q2: Who ran an early study in 1898?
Answer: Norman Triplett
It is often called the first social psychology experiment.
- Q3: What did Triplett notice about cyclists?
Answer: They rode faster with others
Competition seemed to help.
- Q4: What did children do in Triplett's experiment?
Answer: Wind fishing reels
Many wound faster in pairs.
- Q5: Which psychologist proposed drive theory in 1965?
Answer: Robert Zajonc
He linked arousal to performance.
- Q6: How does an audience affect easy, well-learned tasks?
Answer: Performance usually improves
The dominant response is correct.
- Q7: How does an audience affect hard, new tasks?
Answer: Performance often gets worse
Mistakes become more likely.
- Q8: Which animals ran mazes in a 1969 study?
Answer: Cockroaches
An audience of roaches watched.
- Q9: What is evaluation apprehension?
Answer: Worry about being judged
Nickolas Cottrell explored it.
- Q10: What is social loafing?
Answer: Putting in less effort in a group
It is the opposite trend in teams.
Social Facilitation Quiz – How an Audience Changes Performance
Social facilitation describes how the presence of others can change the way we perform. In 1898 Norman Triplett noticed that cyclists rode faster with others than alone, and he found that many children wound fishing reels faster in pairs.
In 1965 Robert Zajonc proposed drive theory: an audience raises arousal, which strengthens our dominant response. On easy or well-practiced tasks this usually improves performance, but on hard or new tasks it often makes mistakes more likely. A 1969 study showed even cockroaches ran simple mazes faster with an audience.
Other ideas add detail. Evaluation apprehension says we worry about being judged, while distraction-conflict theory says others split our attention. In group tasks where effort is hidden, people may slack off instead, a pattern called social loafing. Knowing these effects helps coaches, teachers and performers plan how to practice and perform.
What This Quiz Teaches
Psychology fans will enjoy these questions.
- What the effect is
- Which early studies found it
- Why easy and hard tasks differ
- Which theories explain it
- How it differs from loafing
Did You Know?
- Practicing a skill until it is automatic helps under pressure.
- The audience effect means simply being watched.
- Co-action means working beside others doing the same task.
- Athletes often play better in front of home crowds.
- Mere presence of others can raise heart rate.
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