Zajonc's dominant response and evaluation apprehension

Overview

Zajonc's 1965 model and the dominant response, experts and novices, the inverted-U hypothesis, simple, gross, complex and fine skills, the shot putter and the darts player, and Cottrell's evaluation apprehension with its blindfolded audience.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   What did Zajonc propose in 1965 about the presence of others?

   Model answer

   Zajonc proposed that the mere presence of others raises a performer's arousal. Raised arousal makes the dominant response more likely.

2. 2

   What is meant by the dominant response in Zajonc's model?

   Model answer

   The dominant response is the version of a skill a performer is most likely to produce when watched. An audience makes the dominant response even more likely.

3. 3

   Why does a crowd tend to improve an expert's performance?

   Model answer

   The crowd raises the expert's arousal and makes the dominant response more likely. An expert's dominant response is the correct, overlearned technique.

4. 4

   Why is a novice likely to suffer social inhibition in front of an audience?

   Model answer

   A novice is still in the cognitive stage, so the dominant response is often an error. The audience raises arousal and brings out that faulty technique.

5. 5

   What practical advice for learners follows from Zajonc's model?

   Model answer

   Novices should learn new skills away from an audience. Spectators should be introduced once the skill is well learned.

6. 6

   How does the inverted-U hypothesis explain the effect of an audience?

   Model answer

   The inverted-U suggests an audience helps until arousal reaches the optimum point. Beyond the optimum, extra arousal from the crowd makes performance decline.

Other ways to work this

The same content, four other ways.

What is inside Levo

Six ways to work the same material.