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This phenomenon is known as social facilitation (促进), which describes how individuals can perform tasks differently when in the company of others compared to when they are alone. The concept was first proposed by psychologist Norman Tripplett, who noticed that cyclists raced faster in groups. He tested his theory with a simple experiment where children were tasked with winding fishing line. Tripplett observed that the children who were being around others moved faster, suggesting that a peer (同龄人) nearby can motivate.

But later studies found conflicting evidence. In another test, participants were given a more complex task, like memorizing a list of words. Those in front of others performed worse than those working alone. This contradiction (矛盾) led to a key change of the theory. The presence of an audience tends to improve performance on simple tasks. On the other hand, for novel tasks, the same audience can hurt performance.

Why does this happen? Psychologists suggest the key reason is our concern about being judged by others. Since approval and disapproval often depend on others' evaluations, we naturally become more alert in front of an audience. This alertness helps with mastered skills, but gets in the way of learning new ones.

There isn't one recipe for success, but social facilitation theory helps to point us in the right direction. To improve a well-practiced skill like running or playing an instrument, strategically seek an audience by joining a club or performing publicly. If you struggle when watched, practice alone until you gain confidence. By taking advantage of social settings wisely, we can use the audience effect to achieve our best performance.

Geçkil's journey began with a simple desire to create something special for her son's 1st birthday. She shaped a car cake so real that her son wanted to play with it instead of eating it. From that moment, she discovered her passion: turning daily items into edible (可食用的) art. She began experimenting with techniques from painting, sculpting, and even hairstylings, designing each cake as if it were a high-fashioned piece, customized with fine details.

In 2020, her creations gained widespread attention on social media where she challenged her followers to guess which object on the table was actually a cake. It was always the one they least expected. For Geçkil, the joy lies not only in the craft but in the reactions her cakes inspire. Seeing people's faces light up with wonder and surprise is the magic she loves to create. She said, "All hyper-realistic cakes are crazy, limited only by imagination."

Apart from her online fame, Geçkil also founded Red Rose Cake where she teaches courses in cake designing. Since 2016, she has been giving workshops in many countries—the USA, Brazil, England, India, France, Dubai, etc. Many of her students have won awards in competitions, and many are now teaching.

As she watches her students excel, Geçkil is inspired to dream bigger — to bring Turkish culture to the global stage in a delicious way. She dreams of holding an international exhibition where she will fashion cakes showing traditional Turkish food as well as cultural sites, inviting people around the world to taste the richness of her homeland.

Who We Are

The Penguin Foundation works to protect Phillip Island's native wildlife and enhance the natural environment. One of the key projects is our long-running Knits for Nature program.

Why Your Help matters

For over 20 years, this program has served two critical purposes. Initially, hand-knitted jumpers were essential for saving Little Penguins affected by oil spills (泄漏). When Little Penguins get oiled, they can poison themselves by eating oil. Knitted jumpers help to prevent them from reaching their feathers (羽毛) until rescuers wash them clean. Thanks to the generosity of knitters worldwide, our care center is now well-stocked with these life-saving jumpers for 40,000 penguins.

Today, the program's primary goal is to seek financial support. We now use these jumpers, dressed on penguin toys, as popular souvenirs sold in our stores. Each sale directly supports our ongoing wildlife protection work.

How You Can Help

We invite you to keep knitting creative jumpers for us! Themed designs such as those featuring Christmas colours, football themes, world flags, or ocean themes are welcomed as souvenirs. For safety, we cannot accept items with buttons or sharp decorations that could pose a danger to children. Please ensure jumpers stick to the following sizes in the picture.

A huge thank you to all the wonderful knitters who have contributed to making a difference for Phillip Island's precious wildlife!

—He regrets not ________ for his interview. He wasn't selected.

— Of course.