Unit 7.1

Question 1

Social Psychology

Answer 1

uses scientific methods in order to explore and understand how the thoughts, feelings, and behaviours of individuals are influenced by the actual, imagined, and implied presence of others

Question 2

Interpersonal relationships

Answer 2

• within performers
• students and teachers
• performers and audiences

Question 3

Influence of Audience on Performers

Answer 3

• Yerkes-Dodson Law (graph)
• Social Facilitation (audience present improves performances)
• Social Inhibition (audience present makes performance worse)

Will it be SF or SI? - depends
task: practiced vs. novel
presence: “mere” vs. evaluative
Fear of negative evaluation

Question 4

Music Performance Anxiety (MPA)

Answer 4

Enduring apprehension of musical performance that may or may not have a detrimental effect on the performance (physiological symptoms)
- trait anxiety (MPA) vs. state anxiety (affected by situation/mood)

Question 5

Why does MPA happen? (2 theories)

Answer 5

Distraction theory: task-irrelevant thoughts
Explicit Monitoring Theory: monitoring well-learned actions step by step

Question 6

Performance Boost

Answer 6

• study completed by Shoda & Adachi, 2015
• listeners preferred recordings of music performers that had been recorded in the presence of an audience
• higher ratings for technical & expressive qualities when audience present
• spark to boost performance? yes
• higher MPA less likely to get performance boost
• lower MPA more likely to get performance boost

Question 7

Effects of Performer on the Audience

Answer 7

Intense experiences: hyperventilating, fainting, screaming

Question 8

Visual Impact of Live Performance

Answer 8

Movements and facial expression affect perception of music
- even point light displays
- ex. long vs. short gestures of marimba
Facial expressions can convey:
- degree of dissonance
- intensity of + or - emotion
- whether melody progresses in steps of wide leaps
Body movements can convey - emotion
- can decode emotion from point light display of faces

Question 9

Social Interactions in Performing Groups

Answer 9

String Quartet - no conductor
- first violin, second violin, viola, cello
- leader and follower roles develop
- music roles seem to reflect social roles