social facilities Flashcards
What is social facilitation in sport?
Social facilitation is the improvement in performance when an individual performs in the presence of others, such as an audience or co-actors, compared to performing alone.
What is the difference between social facilitation and social inhibition?
Social facilitation: Performance improves due to the presence of others
Social inhibition: Performance decreases due to the presence of others
What does the Yerkes-Dodson Law suggest about social facilitation?
The Yerkes-Dodson Law suggests that performance increases with arousal up to an optimal point, but if arousal becomes too high due to social pressure, performance can decrease (inverted-U relationship).
What is the role of dominant responses in social facilitation?
When in the presence of others, individuals tend to perform their dominant responses (well-learned or automatic skills). If the task is simple or well-practiced, performance improves; if the task is complex or unfamiliar, performance can worsen.
Who proposed the drive theory of social facilitation?
Zajonc (1965) proposed the drive theory, which suggests that the presence of others increases physiological arousal, leading to an enhancement of the dominant response.
What is Zajonc’s Drive Theory?
Zajonc’s Drive Theory argues that the presence of others increases arousal, which enhances the performance of simple or well-learned tasks but impairs the performance of complex or unfamiliar tasks.
What factors influence whether social facilitation leads to improved performance?
Task difficulty: Simple tasks benefit, while complex tasks are hindered
Skill level: Experts are less likely to be affected by social presence
Personality: Introverts may be more affected by social presence than extroverts
Arousal levels: Optimal arousal helps; too high arousal may impair performance
What is the evaluation apprehension theory of social facilitation?
The evaluation apprehension theory (Cottrell, 1968) suggests that people experience anxiety and arousal when they are aware that they are being evaluated by others. This evaluation can enhance or inhibit performance, depending on the task and skill level.
What is an example of social facilitation in sport?
A basketball player may perform better at free throws in front of a supportive crowd because the task is well-learned (dominant response) and the crowd’s presence boosts arousal.
How can coaches use social facilitation to improve performance?
Create supportive audiences to enhance arousal for well-practiced tasks
Design tasks based on the player’s skill level (to minimize social inhibition for complex tasks)
Encourage focus on the task rather than the audience
Develop positive reinforcement and feedback to reduce evaluation apprehension
What is an example of social inhibition in sport?
A novice tennis player may perform poorly in front of a crowd because they are anxious about being judged, leading to mistakes due to high arousal (social inhibition).
