Social Facilitation (Psychology)

Question 1

Zajonc’s Theory

Answer 1

Question 2

In a sporting situation, the “presence of others” takes several different forms;

Answer 2

they can be passive or interactive.

Question 3

What are the two interactive others?

Answer 3

-Competitive Co-Actors

Someone who is performing at the same time as you, e.g. team mate or opponent in a team game

-Social-Reinforcers

Those who are watching and are directly involved in some way, e.g. supporters / coach

Question 4

What are the two passive others?

Answer 4

Passive others are those who are present but are not interacting in any way.

-Co-Actors

Fellow competitors who are watching but not performing at the same time, e.g. a high jumper watching his opponents perform.

-Audience

Those watching but not directly involved, e.g. those watching at home, in fan zones etc

Question 5

Zajonc’s theory and arousal theory related

Answer 5

Question 6

What is evaluation apprehension?

Answer 6

• Evaluation apprehension is defined as the fear of a perceived threat of being judged.
• It is not just the presence of others that causes increased arousal but the possibility that they are evaluating us and making judgements
• For the audience to have an effect, evaluation apprehension must be present. We must think that we are being judged.

Question 7

Factors Affecting Evaluation Apprehension & Social Facilitation

Answer 7

-Confidence

If you are less confident, the higher the EV is.

-Expertise of the audience

The more knowledgable the audience, the higher the EV will be.

-Situation

The more important the situation, the higher the pressure so increase EV

-Personality

The more extrovert the person is, the less likely/lower the EV will be.

Someone with high trait anxiety will suffer from EV more than someone with low trait anxiety

-Previous experience

If you’ve performed in front of a crowd before and played well, the EV will be lower

Question 8

How can you reduce the negative effects of an audience?

Answer 8

• Familiarisation – train in front of a crowd - this to get used to distractions and increase the size of the crowd gradually.
• Mental rehearsal – going over the task in their mind focuses attention, reduces errors and builds confidence; they might be able to block out a crowd’s noise.
• Mental rehearsal in conjunction with physical practice.
• Improve selective attention – the ability to focus on the important cues and ignore the irrelevant ones can help cut out the effect of the audience.
• Lowering arousal with relaxation techniques
• Enhancing focus and concentration
• Lower the perceived importance of the event
• Avoid social comparison with others by teaching in a non-evaluative environment initially
• Encourage team mates to be supportive
• Self-talk/goal setting/ breathing control/ other stress management techniques
• Use attributions correctly
• Ensure skills are overlearned so that the dominant response is correct