C14 - Aggression, Motivation + Social Facilitation

Question 1

What is catharsis?

Answer 1

• The idea that releasing aggression through sport reduces future aggressive behavior.
• Linked to Instinct Theory (natural aggression needs to be released).
• E.g., a boxer letting out frustration in a controlled way in a fight.

Question 2

How does Social Learning Theory explain aggression?

Answer 2

• Aggression is learned through observation & imitation of role models.
• More likely if behavior is reinforced.
• E.g., a young footballer copying a professional who argues with the referee.

Question 3

What is the Instinct Theory of Aggression?

Answer 3

• Aggression is innate (born with it).
• Humans have a natural “survival instinct” that leads to aggression.
• Criticism: Doesn’t explain why aggression varies between situations & people.

Question 4

What is the Frustration-Aggression Hypothesis?

Answer 4

• Frustration leads to aggression if goals are blocked.
• If aggression is successful → leads to catharsis.
• If punished → frustration increases.
• E.g., a footballer fouling an opponent after losing possession.

Question 5

How can aggression be prevented?

Answer 5

• Punishment (red cards, bans).
• Encouraging fair play & respect.
• Coaches setting a positive example.
• Reducing frustration (e.g., better refereeing).

Question 6

What are the types of motivation?

Answer 6

• Intrinsic Motivation – Driven by internal rewards (enjoyment, pride).
• Extrinsic Motivation – Driven by external rewards (money, trophies).
• Intrinsic > Extrinsic for long-term success.

Question 7

What 4 factors influence behavior + how do we remember them?

Answer 7

• Situation – Environment (e.g., home vs. away crowd).
• Personality – Traits (e.g., NACH vs. NAF).
• Expectation – Self-belief (e.g., confident players perform better).
• Behavior – Past experiences (e.g., previous success/failure).

Speedy Pitstop Ensures Balance

Question 8

What is social facilitation & inhibition?

Answer 8

• Social Facilitation – Presence of an audience improves performance (if skilled).
• Social Inhibition – Presence of an audience worsens performance (if unskilled).

Question 9

What did Triplett find about social facilitation?

Answer 9

• Cyclists perform better when competing against others vs. alone.
• Presence of others = increased arousal & effort.

Question 10

What is Zajonc’s model?

Answer 10

• Presence of audience increases arousal.
• Dominant response theory:
• Well-learned skills → improved performance.
• New/complex skills → worse performance.
• E.g., a pro tennis player performs better in front of a crowd, but a beginner gets nervous.

Question 11

What is Cottrell’s Evaluation Apprehension Theory?

Answer 11

• Not just the presence of others, but fear of being judged affects performance.
• If an audience is perceived as knowledgeable, pressure increases.
• E.g., a young gymnast might perform worse in front of a coach vs. friends.

Question 12

How does social facilitation affect performance?

Answer 12

• Experienced athletes → Perform better under pressure.
• Beginners → Perform worse under pressure.
• Fine skills (e.g., darts) → need low arousal.
• Gross skills (e.g., sprinting) → benefit from high arousal.

Question 13

How can social inhibition be reduced?

Answer 13

• Mental rehearsal (visualizing success).
• Practice in front of small audiences before bigger ones.
• Improving self-confidence (e.g., positive self-talk).
• Controlling breathing & relaxation techniques.

Question 14

What is the Aggressive Cue Hypothesis?

Answer 14

• Suggests aggression occurs when an individual is frustrated AND exposed to aggressive environmental cues.
• Frustration alone is not enough – an external cue is required.
• If a cue is present, frustration can trigger aggression.
• E.g., a footballer is fouled (frustration), but only reacts aggressively if provoked further (cue).

Question 15

What are aggressive cues?

Answer 15

• People (opponents, aggressive teammates).
• Places (competitive environments, hostile crowds).
• Objects (weapons, sports equipment linked to aggression).
• Actions (taunting, pushing, aggressive body language).
• E.g., aggression is more likely in boxing (aggressive sport) than golf (calm sport).

Question 16

How can aggression be reduced according to this theory?

Answer 16

• Removing aggressive cues (e.g., banning violent celebrations in sport).
• Reducing frustration (e.g., fair refereeing decisions).
• Promoting non-aggressive role models (e.g., rewarding fair play).

Question 17

What is Achievement Motivation Theory?

Answer 17

• Explains how personality & situation affect motivation.
• Based on two personality types:
  1. NACH (Need to Achieve) – Competitive, enjoys challenges, takes risks.
  2. NAF (Need to Avoid Failure) – Avoids risks, fears failure, prefers easy tasks.
• Motivation = Personality + Situational Factors.

Question 18

What are the key situational factors?

Answer 18

• Task difficulty – More challenging tasks motivate NACH, but discourage NAF.
• Probability of success – NACH athletes prefer 50-50 challenges, NAF athletes prefer very easy or impossible tasks (so failure isn’t their fault).
• Incentive value of success – The greater the reward, the more motivated NACH athletes are.
• E.g., a NACH athlete chooses to take a difficult penalty in football because the reward of scoring is high. A NAF athlete may pass responsibility to a teammate.

Question 19

How can coaches develop achievement motivation?

Answer 19

• Encourage NACH behaviors (e.g., reward risk-taking).
• Reduce fear of failure (e.g., create a supportive environment).
• Set realistic but challenging goals (so success is achievable).
• Develop self-confidence (positive feedback, visualization).

Question 20

What six factors affect performance?

(In terms of social facilitation/inhibition)

Answer 20

• Size of audience
• Proximity of audience
• Intentions of audience
• Skill level/difficulty of task
• Personality
• Type of task