What is the term for the effect that occurs when the presence of others enhances an individual's performance at times and impairs it at other times?

The term that describes the phenomenon where the presence of others can both enhance and impair an individual's performance is known as the social facilitation effect. This effect occurs because the presence of an audience can lead to increased arousal, which can improve performance on well-practiced, simple tasks (enhancement), while it can also lead to anxiety or distractions that can impair performance on more complex or unfamiliar tasks (impairment).

The social facilitation effect highlights the dual nature of social environments on individual performance, emphasizing that context and the nature of the task play significant roles in determining outcomes. The explanations of why this is the correct term delve into social psychology, particularly examining how the dynamics of group settings influence individual behavior.

In contrast, the other terms do not encapsulate this dual nature. Social loafing refers specifically to a reduction in individual effort when working in a group rather than the enhancement or impairment of individual performance. Peer pressure relates to influence exerted by individuals in a social group, which does not inherently include performance variations based on the presence of others. Motivational enhancement is a broader term that may refer to general increases in motivation but does not specifically address the variable outcomes based on task complexity and social context as the social facilitation effect does.