PSYCH253 Lecture Notes - Social Loafing, Deindividuation, Social Facilitation
16 Oct 2011
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Document Summary
Work alone versus working with others present. Being around other people is physiologically arousing. Improves performance on well-learned easy task: hinders performance on un-mastered complex tasks, e. g. , good tennis player perform better when watched already mastered skills. Less talented player gets worse still acquiring skills. Others present arousal strengthens dominant responses. The presence of others tends to cause arousal: perspire (sweat, higher blood pressure. Intensify positive of negative emotions: e. g. , funny tv shows. Funnier when watching with others than when watching alone: e. g. , video clip: seinfeld elaine on subway. Felt very uncomfortable being crowded by so many people. Felt happy when train was finally moving again. Decrease personal efforts as groups now larger. Some were told they were pulling alone, and others were told there were people pulling behind them as well. Found that participants pulled 18% harder when they knew they were pulling alone than when they thought they were pulling with others.
