Sport Psych Topic 6: Audience effects

Question 1

Key Research - Zajonc et al

Answer 1

Aim:
- The presence of others improves performance on a well learned or easy task. - The presence of others impede performance on a novel or complex task
- to provide evidence for drive theory

Sample:
- 72 adult female cockroaches
- 1 week before study, they were kept individually in the dark with screened kids at a temp of 24c. Fed a diet of sliced and peeled apple

Procedure:
- cockroach runs were set into a 20x20x20 inch perspex cube. Two types of runs are designed to be easy task and other to be complex. A 150w floodlight was placed behind the start box
- coach roaches are photooptic and because of that this is why they were used in this study as their sculling away from a floodlight gave a predictable and specific measure. To test drive theory some of the cockroaches were tested in pairs, some cockroaches ran alone and this gave a baseline measure of task performance. 4 from the 72 were placed in an audience box. In this condition any difference in performance would be done to the presence of others.

Results:
simple tasks = found that the co-acting cockroaches completed the task in the fastest time
complex task = the lone cockroaches ran faster

Concluions:
the presence of others increases arousal and has impact on performance and that this study therefore provides support Zajonc drive theory

Question 2

Zajonc drive theory and Michaels et al

Answer 2

• tested prediction made by drive theory that the presence of an audience would improve performance in a dominant task and inhibit performance of a non-dominant task
• 12 pool players observed from a distance in student union
• 4 researchers then stood around the table where the students were playing and again observed their performance. Above-average players’ shot accuracy increase from 71% to 80% in presence of others

Question 3

Cottrell: social inhabiting effects

Answer 3

• Cottrell suggested that athletes can perform worse in front of an audience due to evaluation apprehension
• performers feel as though they are being judged by audience who have power to reward them with praise or punish them with disapproval
• fear of being judged negatively leads to increased anxiety
• if audience is seen as experts. athletes is likely to experience more evaluation apprehension and greater anxiety

Question 4

Schwartz and Barsky: home advantage

Answer 4

Analysed data from:
- 1880 MLB games
- 183 football in national and American
- 910 college football teams
- 542 hockey
- 1485 college basketball

Results: % of wins at home
- basketball 53%
- ice hockey 53%
- football 55%
- basketball 82%

it was suggested that it was the density of the crowd that impacted the home advantage

Question 5

Imagery techniques to control anxiety

Answer 5

• imagery can be beneficial for controlling anxiety when performing in front of a crowd - either by focusing attention on performing specific skills through managing levels of arousal
• motivation general - arousal (MG-A) this is imagery that reflects feelings of relaxation, stress, anxiety or arousal in relation to sports competitions