PSYCH 1X03 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Group Polarization, Murder Of Kitty Genovese, Retina
22 Jun 2016
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Document Summary
Triplett hypothesized that the mere presence of others was an important variable in the performance of the actor. Audience: a group of people watching an individual perform a task. Social facilitation: the increased performance that occurs in the presence of co-actors or an audience. Zajonc suggested that the important factor to consider is that the presence of others increases arousal. How heightened arousal affects performance depends on task at hand. For simple tasks for which you are an expert or well-practised, performance is enhanced. For complex tasks, for which you are neither expert nor well practised, performance is hindered. People completing simple puzzles or people well prepared for an event will perform better because the task has become relatively simple. A difficult puzzle or unpracticed activity will become more complex and the actor will perform worse in the presence of others. Ex: being well prepared allows you to use the audience"s energy rather than feel anxiety and be nervous.
