Theories of social facilitation

Overview

Zajonc's drive theory and the dominant response, evaluation apprehension, distraction-conflict theory, self-presentation theory and choking, and the link with the inverted-U theory.

What you need to know

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Questions from this subtopic

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1. 1

   What is drive theory of social facilitation?

   Model answer

   Drive theory states that the presence of others raises arousal. Raised arousal makes the dominant response more likely.

2. 2

   What is a dominant response?

   Model answer

   A dominant response is the behaviour a performer is most likely to produce. For an expert it is usually correct, but for a novice it is usually incorrect.

3. 3

   Who applied drive theory to social facilitation?

   Model answer

   Zajonc applied drive theory to social facilitation. Zajonc proposed that the mere presence of others raises arousal.

4. 4

   What is evaluation apprehension theory?

   Model answer

   Evaluation apprehension theory states that arousal rises only when performers feel they are being judged. Cottrell proposed the theory.

5. 5

   How does evaluation apprehension affect a novice?

   Model answer

   A novice may worry about being judged by coaches or peers. The anxiety can cause mistakes.

6. 6

   What is distraction-conflict theory?

   Model answer

   Distraction-conflict theory states that an audience divides the performer's attention. The conflict between the task and the audience raises arousal.

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