What is the audience effect?
The "audience effect" is otherwise known in science as the "Zajonc effect" of the effect of social facilitation, characterized by a special specific influence of the presence of strangers on the characteristics of human behavior.
The presence of other people (the audience) in itself is capable of qualitatively influencing the speed of the subject's learning various skills or the nature or quality of the task assigned to the person (the statement is true even when the audience is completely neutral and does not express any or value judgments or reactions).
In case of the presence of spectators, the subject is able to be more embarrassed in the learning process, however, if he has already mastered any action properly and at the proper level, then the presence of the public around greatly facilitates the applied physical efforts and qualitatively changes (increases) the effectiveness and speed of completing tasks.
For the first time, Robert Zajonc formulated the theoretical basis of this phenomenon and proved the essence of the audience effect, in honor of him, the second name was given to this phenomenon.
Key points of audience effect
Based on the well-known formula of behaviorism (which describes the features of human behavior in terms of “stimulus-response”), R. Zajonc admitted that the presence of an audience (other people) in itself is a powerful stimulating factor and an active source of arousal for a person.
The audience effect can be predicted when a person knows what that audience expects. Understanding has a positive effect on the activity and success of the subject, while an increase in the total number of viewers intensifies (strengthens) the effect significantly.
The presence of the audience causes the activation of all the internal forces of the body, the overall drive increases and the motivational aspect improves;
The presence of strangers can form in a person a premonition of an assessment situation, which enhances the activation of their own available resources;
The presence of observers can also act as a distraction. Since the distraction of attention (dividing it into several aspects: partly into work, and partly into the process of observing the reactions and actions of others).
Peculiarities of social facilitation effect
Cognitive-motivational model: the presence of the audience, on the one hand, forms an idea about the possible consequences in case of future failure (disapproval, censure and condemnation of other people), and on the other hand, focuses on the positive consequences, subject to good luck (success, approval and positive assessment of own abilities).
Robert Zajonc also found that an increased level of arousal in a subject can significantly improve (accelerate) the solution of simple and familiar tasks for him, and as for the performance of complex tasks - such arousal significantly worsens them. This idea is confirmed by a number of studies involving more than 25 thousand subjects.
Practical use of audience effect
This phenomenon should be taken into account when organizing and conducting various psychological experiments: this phenomenon can significantly reduce and have a threatening effect on the internal validity of the study.
A man is trying with all his might to show himself from the best side in front of the woman he is interested in (the same statement is true in the opposite direction).
In the presence of other people, a person is able to feel stronger emotional experiences, be more worried, indignant, etc.
The behavior, habits and thoughts of a person alone and in the company of other people are most often radically different.
Examples of audience effect
