Doctoral Dissertations
The effect of three social facilitation factors on performance with practice of a complex motor task
Date of Award
12-1982
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Major Professor
Patricia A. Beitel
Committee Members
Madge Phillips, Schuyler Huck, Don Franks, Barbara Mead
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect(s) of (a) previous experience with an audience, experienced and inexperienced; (b) the status of the audience, expert and nonexpert; and (c) the method of evaluation, direct and indirect; on the performance with practice of a complex motor task. Subjects were 96 female volunteers, 48 experienced and 48 inexperienced with an audience during motor skill performance. Each group of 48 subjects was randomly assigned to the following four treatment groups (n = 12): (a) expert audience, direct evaluation; (b) expert audience, indirect evaluation; (c) nonexpert audience, direct evaluation; and (d) nonexpert audience, indirect evaluation. Each subject performed twelve trials of 20 seconds each at 60 rpm on the pursuit rotor. The mean and variability of both time on target and error scores were grouped and calculated for each of four blocks.
A 2 x 2 x 2 x 4 ANOVA, with repeated measures on the last factor, and appropriate post hoc tests were used to analyze the data and produced the following results: (a) the group of subjects which was experienced with an audience was significantly better (p < .01) than all other groups of subjects on mean time on target; (b) the group of subjects which was experienced with an audience performed better (p < .01) when evaluated by an expert audience than when evaluated by a nonexpert audience on mean time on target; and (c) the group of subjects inexperienced with an audience performed better (p < .01) when evaluated by a nonexpert audience than when evaluated by an expert audience on mean time on target. Significant interaction effects by blocks were found for the following: (a) audience x blocks for variability of error, with the audience experienced group of subjects producing more consistency in error than the inexperienced with an audience group; (b) audience x status x blocks for mean time on target, which revealed that the group of subjects experienced with an audience and evaluated by an expert audience performed better at Blocks 3 and 4 than all other groups of subjects; and (c) the inexperienced with an audience group of subjects evaluated by an expert audience performed lower than all other groups of subjects. The major contribution of the study was that the audience experience and the status of the audience interaction was the primary factor affecting motor skill performance with an audience present.
Recommended Citation
Whitt, Frederick Keith, "The effect of three social facilitation factors on performance with practice of a complex motor task. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 1982.
https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/13348