Social Facilitation and Group Dynamics

What Social Facilitation and Group Dynamics covers

Social Facilitation and Group Dynamics is examined in Paper 2, Factors affecting optimal performance in physical activity and sport. It covers Zajonc's model of social facilitation, evaluation apprehension and coping with an audience, Tuckman's model and team cohesion and Steiner's model, the Ringelmann effect and social loafing.

The 4 subtopics

Each one has its own page.

• Zajonc's model of social facilitationSocial facilitation and inhibition, Zajonc's model and the four types of others, arousal and the dominant response, and audience size and attitude.Open →
• Evaluation apprehension and coping with an audienceCottrell's evaluation apprehension, which audiences and performers are most affected, and strategies from practice to pre-performance routines.Open →
• Tuckman's model and team cohesionTuckman's forming, storming, norming and performing stages, task and social cohesion, and strategies to improve cohesion.Open →
• Steiner's model, the Ringelmann effect and social loafingSteiner's model of potential and actual productivity, coordination and motivation losses with a worked example, the Ringelmann effect and social loafing.Open →

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Take Social Facilitation and Group Dynamics further

The same content, four other ways.

Commonly confused

Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.

• Social facilitation vs Social inhibition

  Social facilitation: improved performance caused by the presence of others. Social inhibition: worse performance caused by the presence of others.

• Co-actors vs Audience

  Co-actors: people doing the same task at the same time without competing. Audience: people watching a performance who take no part in it.

• Task cohesion vs Social cohesion

  Task cohesion: members working together towards a shared goal. Social cohesion: members liking, trusting and supporting each other.

Questions from this topic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   What is social facilitation?

   Model answer

   Social facilitation is the positive effect that the presence of others has on performance. Performance improves because others are watching or performing alongside.

2. 2

   What is social inhibition?

   Model answer

   Social inhibition is the negative effect that the presence of others has on performance. Performance gets worse because others are present.

3. 3

   When did Zajonc publish his model of social facilitation?

   Model answer

   Robert Zajonc published his model of social facilitation in 1965.

4. 4

   Name the four types of others identified in Zajonc's model.

   Model answer

   The four types of others are an audience, co-actors, competitive co-actors and social reinforcers.

5. 5

   What is the difference between an audience and co-actors?

   Model answer

   An audience watches the performance without taking part. Co-actors perform the same task at the same time but are not in direct competition.

6. 6

   What are competitive co-actors and social reinforcers?

   Model answer

   Competitive co-actors are performers in direct competition, such as the other runners in a race. Social reinforcers are people who give feedback or encouragement, such as a coach or teammates.

What is inside Levo

Six ways to work the same material.

Social Facilitation and Group Dynamics revision questions

What does Social Facilitation and Group Dynamics cover in AQA A-Level Physical Education?

4 subtopics: zajonc's model of social facilitation, evaluation apprehension and coping with an audience, tuckman's model and team cohesion and steiner's model, the ringelmann effect and social loafing. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.

How is Social Facilitation and Group Dynamics organised?

By the AQA 7582 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.