Social Interaction

<-NARRATOR:-> Now listen to part of a talk in a sociology class. The professor is discussing audience effects.
<-MALE PROFESSOR:-> OK, so we said that the way we interact with others has an impact on our behavior...
In fact, there's some interesting research to suggest that in one type of interaction—when we're being observed specifically, when we know we're being watched as we perform some activity—we tend to increase the speed at which we perform that activity.
In one study, college students were asked to each put on a pair of shoes—shoes with laces they would have to tie.
Now one group of students was told that they would be observed.
The second group, however, didn't know they were being observed.
The students who were aware that they were being watched actually tied their shoes much faster than the students who thought they were alone.
Other studies confirm the same is true even when we're learning new activities.
Let's say someone is learning a new task—for example, learning how to type.
When they're conscious of being observed, they'll likely begin typing at a much faster rate than they would if they were alone.
But, and this is interesting, the study also showed that certain common behavior— things people typically do, like ...making mistakes when you're learning something new that behavior pattern will also increase.
So in other words, when we're learning to type, and we know we're being watched, we'll type faster but we'll also make more mistakes.