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MENTAL MODEL · M2571

Social Inhibition

Social Inhibition
BehaviorHigh supportSocial Psychology
Included
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Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30

CORE DEFINITION

When others are present, an individual's performance is inhibited (worsened). This typically occurs in complex, unmastered tasks. Because the presence of others increases arousal levels, interfering with cognitive processing.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

- In office environments: For creative work requiring deep thought (complex tasks), open-plan offices (with others present) are poison. Private spaces must be provided, otherwise employees' intelligence will physically decline.

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The presence of others increases physiological arousal. For complex, unmastered tasks, high arousal interferes with working memory and fine cognitive processing, causing performance to decline (i.e., social inhibition). It is the opposite side of social facilitation (for unfamiliar tasks).

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Source support: Explicit

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    en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_inhibitionZH · Explicit
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