A theoretical and practical critique of Social Facilitation Theory

Abstract

Social facilitation theory is one of the most paradigmatic examples of social psychology, understood as an experimental science. However, in this paper we intend to demonstrate that the research that allegedly supports it suffers from a number of defects. It uses biased population samples, and the tasks it sets its experimental subjects are limited to the practical or productive, ignoring the broader range of everyday activities such as conversing or, indeed, urinating. Social facilitation theory, far from being objective, is a microcosm of American social psychology ideology insofar as it ignores basic human functions, and fails to include stigmatized communities such as stutterers and people with bladder problems.