psyc

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uk

Today’s session

You will learn about Context

Using psychology to analyse behaviourUsing models and theories to predict and explain what people do

Social facilitationArousal and task performanceDominant and non-dominant responses

psyc

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ron.

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uk

The evidence so far:

Three studies of social facilitation: Triplett (1898) Zajonc et al (1969) Michaels et al (1982)

What do these studies tell us about the effects of an audience/co-actors?

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Physiological arousal

How energised, alert or ready for action a person is

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Arousal & task performance

The Yerkes-Dodson curve

What does this graph tell us about the relationship between a person’s level of arousal and their ability to do a task?

arousal level

perf

orm

ance

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ron.

org.

uk

Arousal & task performance

Task performance

Arousal level

B’ground AdditionalAudience

worse better

lower higher

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ron.

org.

uk

Dominant responses

Dominant response

Very well-learned & thoroughly practised ‘automatic’ behaviours

Increased arousal makes performance better

Non-dominant response

Less well learned behaviours, requiring more conscious control

Increased arousal makes performance worse

psyc

hlot

ron.

org.

uk

Can we use the idea of dominant and non-dominant responses to explain the findings of Zajonc et al (1969) and Michaels et al (1982)?

psyc

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org.

uk

Dominant responses

Zajonc et al (1969) Non-dominant response (turning corners) inhibited by audience

Michaels et al (1982) Experts’ pool skills (dominant response) improved, novices’ pool skills (non-dominant) deteriorated

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ron.

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uk

Why does the presence of others as audience/co-actors increase a person’s arousal level?

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Three possibilities

Mere presence (‘they just do’) Increased arousal is a pre-programmed,

biological response to others Evaluation apprehension

We get worried about how we appear to other people

Distraction Other people distract us, which causes

conflict/stress

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ron.

org.

uk

A model of task performance

Task performance

Arousal level during task

Dominance of response

Other?Stress /Emotion

Audience /Co-actors

How recently learned?

How well

practiced?