Four hypotheses derived from the social facilitation model (Cottrell, 1972) were applied to black faculty productivity, using data from a survey of 386 black faculty in predominantly white universities in the Northeast. In this model, the presence of an audience or coactors is considered to be a source of arousal that can either enhance or impair performance depending on the performer's evaluation apprehension and the task being performed. The hypotheses are as follows: (1) the greater the amount of contact with whites, the greater will be the facilitation effect; (2) social facilitation will enhance performance at higher academic rank and impair performances at lower academic ranks; (3) as academic rank increases, social facilitation effects will increase; and (4) social facilitation effects will not occur as a function of contact with blacks. It was found that as the amount of contact with whites increased, the productivity of black full and assistant professors (but not associate professors) was affected, but only if the black faculty could be provided a positive or negative outcome. In addition, contact with blacks did not affect productivity, which suggests that the black audience had less evaluative potential. (SW)