Social presence effects in the Stroop task: Further evidence for an attentional view of social facilitation.

Abstract

In contrast with R. B. Zajonc's (1965) classic view about social facilitation-inhibition (SFI) effects, it was found that the presence of relatively unpredictable audiences and forced social comparison with a slightly superior coactor both facilitated performance in the Stroop task while inhibiting automatic verbal processing. Not only do these findings reveal that social presence can help inhibit the emission of dominant responses, providing further support for an attentional view of SFI effects, but they also demonstrate the power of social situations over what has been thought to be invariant automatic processing. As such, they are inconsistent with the view reiterated in more than 500 articles on Stroop interference over the past 60 years and suggest that more attention should be paid to the situations in which cognition takes place.

Cites (2)

1. The effect of emotion on cue utilization and the organization of behavior
   Easterbrook, J. A. · 1959 · Psychological Review
2. Noise, task difficulty, and Stroop color-word performance
   Houston, B. Kent · 1969 · Journal of Experimental Psychology

Show all 2 references

Cited by (6)

1. Selective attention improves under stress: implications for theories of social cognition
   Chajut, Eran, Algom, Daniel · 2003 · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
2. Mindfulness training affects attention—Or is it attentional effort?
   Jensen, Christian Gaden, Vangkilde, Signe, Frokjaer, Vibe, Hasselbalch, Steen G. · 2012 · Journal of Experimental Psychology: General
3. The Mere Presence of a Cell Phone May be Distracting: Implications for Attention and Task Performance
   Thornton, Bill, Faires, Alyson, Robbins, Maija, Rollins, Eric · 2014 · Social Psychology
4. Feeling the Heat: Effects of Stress, Commitment, and Job Experience on Job Performance
   Hunter, Larry W., Thatcher, Sherry M. B. · 2007 · Academy of Management Journal
5. What’s in a game: the effect of social motivation on interference control in boys with ADHD and autism spectrum disorders
   Geurts, Hilde M., Luman, Mariolein, Van Meel, Catharina S. · 2008 · Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry

See all 267