Zajonc (1965) wrote an influential article in which he posited a theoretical explanation for the social facilitation effect. Elegantly simple, this explanation included two steps:
A) the presence of others causes arousal, and arousal makes it easier to do simple things and harder to do difficult or new things.
B) the actors are concerned about evaluation, and the most dominant response is activated.
C) the presence of others is distracting, and distractions make it more difficult to perform.
D) the performance of difficult tasks is arousing, and arousal impedes performance.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Zajonc's theory posits that the presence of others causes arousal, which in turn enhances the performance of simple or well-learned tasks and hinders the performance of complex or new tasks.

Zajonc (1965) Wrote an Influential Article in Which He Posited