Abstract
The concept of social facilitation is defined in the introduction as a descriptive term and clearly distinguished from explanations of this phenomenon. In the experiment goldfish which had learned to traverse a simple maze for food were divided into two groups of twenty-five. In a first phase individual retraining was given to assure that both groups react quickly in the maze and perform equally well. In the experimental phase fish received electric shocks at the end of the maze, alternated with trials without shock. Fish of group b were tested alone, fish of group a together in the approach-avoidance situation. Fish tested in groups approach significantly quicker than those tested alone. The observed social facilitation of approach responses in the fearful situation can be explained by the hypothesis of fear reduction due to the presence of companions. Therapeutic applications of the social stuation are finally proposed.