Balancing in Front of a Simulated Audience: Social Facilitation and Visual Fixation Effects

Balance control is a fundamental motor skill influenced by various external and internal factors, including social influences (spectator effects) and visual fixation. In a two-step approach, we investigated the influence of videotaped spectators on balance performance in 32 female dancers and 64 control participants (32 Non-Dancers 1, 32 Non-Dancers 2 - sport students) using a single-leg balance task on an ankle-disc board. The participants balanced on their dominant and non-dominant leg alone and in front of a simulated audience (pre-recorded video). While dancers and 32 control participants (Non-Dancers (1) were told they were being watched in real time, the other 32 control participants (Non-Dancers (2) were aware that the video was pre-recorded. Balance performance improved in the presence of simulated spectators, independent of expertise level or leg dominance of the participants, also in participants who were aware that the audience was "fake". These findings challenge traditional theories of social facilitation effects in motor tasks and highlight the stabilizing role of visual fixation in balance control.