Which audiences cause the most evaluation apprehension?

Expert or significant audiences, such as selectors, scouts, coaches or parents, cause the most apprehension. A small, knowledgeable audience can be more threatening than a large, casual crowd.

Which performers are most affected by evaluation apprehension?

Novices, performers with high trait anxiety and those with low self-confidence are most affected. Introverts are also more sensitive to being judged.

A youth footballer plays poorly when a professional club scout is watching. Explain why.

The scout is an expert audience judging the player, which creates evaluation apprehension. The extra anxiety pushes the player beyond optimal arousal, so performance suffers.

AQA A-Level Physical Education 7582

The Cardiovascular System

Topic overview Heart health, fitness and cardiac output The cardiac conduction system and heart rate control Receptors, vascular shunting and blood redistribution Oxygen transport, the Bohr shift and the a-VO₂ difference Venous return, Starling's law and cardiovascular drift

The Respiratory System

Topic overview Lung volumes and minute ventilation Gas exchange, diffusion and partial pressure Control of breathing during exercise Smoking and the respiratory system

The Neuromuscular System

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Energy Systems

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Skill, Transfer and Practice

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Theories of Learning

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Guidance and Feedback

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Information Processing and Memory

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The Emergence and Globalisation of Sport

Topic overview Pre-industrial society, mob football and real tennis Industrialisation, urbanisation and rational recreation Association football, lawn tennis and Victorian athletics Amateurs, professionals and women in Victorian sport The Golden Triangle of sport, media and sponsorship Professionalism and elite women's sport since 1950

Equal Opportunities in Sport

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Diet and Nutrition

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Preparation and Training Methods

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Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation

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Linear and Angular Motion

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Projectile Motion and Fluid Mechanics

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Personality and Attitudes

Topic overview Trait and social learning theories of personality The interactionist perspective in sport The triadic model and how attitudes form Changing attitudes: cognitive dissonance and persuasive communication

Arousal and Anxiety

Topic overview Drive theory and the inverted-U Catastrophe theory, the zone of optimal functioning and peak flow Somatic, cognitive, trait and state anxiety Measuring anxiety

Aggression

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Motivation and Achievement Motivation

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Social Facilitation and Group Dynamics

Topic overview Zajonc's model of social facilitation Evaluation apprehension and coping with an audience Tuckman's model and team cohesion Steiner's model, the Ringelmann effect and social loafing

Goal Setting

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Attribution Theory

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Self-Efficacy and Confidence

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Stress Management

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Concepts of Physical Activity and Sport

Topic overview Physical recreation and sport Physical education and school sport The sports development continuum

Development of Elite Performers

Topic overview Talent identification and progression factors National governing bodies, national institutes and UK Sport Support services for talent development World Class Programme and UK Sport talent schemes

Ethics and Violence in Sport

Topic overview Amateurism, sportsmanship and the win ethic Positive and negative deviance Causes and implications of violence in sport Preventing violence among performers and spectators

Drugs in Sport

Topic overview Why elite performers use drugs EPO, anabolic steroids and beta blockers Consequences of drug taking for sport and performer Eliminating drugs and the testing debate

Sport, the Law and Commercialisation

Topic overview The law and the sports performer Negligence, duty of care and spectator law Commercialisation, the performer and the coach Commercialisation, officials, audiences and the sport

Technology in Sport

Topic overview Collecting and analysing sports data Functions of sports analytics Sports equipment and facilities Benefits and drawbacks of sports technology

Social Facilitation and Group Dynamics

Evaluation apprehension and coping with an audience

3 things to know
Paper 2

Overview

Cottrell's evaluation apprehension, which audiences and performers are most affected, and strategies from practice to pre-performance routines.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started

Key term

What is evaluation apprehension?

Numbers

Who proposed evaluation apprehension, and when?

Key term

How does Cottrell's view differ from Zajonc's?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1
What is evaluation apprehension?
Model answer
Evaluation apprehension is the fear of being judged by others. The anxiety comes from the performer's belief that the audience is assessing them.
2
Who proposed evaluation apprehension, and when?
Model answer
Nickolas Cottrell proposed evaluation apprehension in 1968.
3
How does Cottrell's view differ from Zajonc's?
Model answer
Zajonc argued that the mere presence of others raises arousal. Cottrell argued that arousal rises only when the performer believes the others are judging them.
4
Which audiences cause the most evaluation apprehension?
Model answer
Expert or significant audiences, such as selectors, scouts, coaches or parents, cause the most apprehension. A small, knowledgeable audience can be more threatening than a large, casual crowd.
5
Which performers are most affected by evaluation apprehension?
Model answer
Novices, performers with high trait anxiety and those with low self-confidence are most affected. Introverts are also more sensitive to being judged.
6
A youth footballer plays poorly when a professional club scout is watching. Explain why.
Model answer
The scout is an expert audience judging the player, which creates evaluation apprehension. The extra anxiety pushes the player beyond optimal arousal, so performance suffers.

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