Triplett

Question 1

How did Triplett (1898) explain the underperformance of some children in his experiment?

Answer 1

Overstimulation

Question 2

Who posted the first ever study in social psych

Answer 2

triplett

Question 3

Where did Tripplet work

Answer 3

1901: Faculty at Kansas Normal School, Emporia

Head of the department of child study for 30 years

Question 4

Why was Triplett curious about cycling

Answer 4

• Triplett was a keen sportsman
• He noticed that cyclists ride faster when in a group
 Analysis of results from cycling events by the Racing Board of the League of American Wheelman for the 1897 season

Question 5

What did Tripplet observe from League of American Wheelman for the 1897 season

Answer 5

1. Races against other riders
2. Paced races against time
3. Unpaced races against time

Question 6

How much faster were races against other riders?

Answer 6

26% (on average 40 secs/mile faster)

Question 7

how much faster were races against pace

Answer 7

23% (on average 34 secs/mile faster)

Question 8

What theories did Triplett suggest

Answer 8

• suction
• shelter
• encouragement
• worry
• hynoptic suggestion
• automatic
• dynamogenic

Question 9

WHich to researchers used field and lab studies

Answer 9

triplett and festinger

Question 10

Who worked in one of the first established experimental labs

Answer 10

triplett

Question 11

What is a competition machine

Answer 11

Two fishing reels that each pull a flag across a 4m circuit when reeled rapidly

Question 12

What were the Stopwatch and Kymograph used for

Answer 12

Record the time and a graphical record of the rate at which participants turned the fishing reel

Question 13

What was Triplett’s method using children

Answer 13

• N = 40 children, age: 8-17 years (out of nearly 225 individuals)
• Practice rounds: until all children are familiar with the machine
• Trials: 6 trials of 4 rounds, lasting 30-40 sec each, 5 mins rest in-between
• Group A: alone,competition, alone, competition, alone, competition
• Group B: alone, alone, competition, alone, competition, alone

Question 14

what was tripletts results using children

Answer 14

• No statistical analysis at the time; presentation of raw data & drawings
• 3 tables presented:

(1. ) Positively stimulated (N = 20): Faster times in competition
(2. ) Overstimulated: (N = 10) Slower times in competition
(3. ) Little affected (N = 10): Same times competition and alone

Question 15

What was Tripplets interpretation of th eresults

Answer 15

overstimulated

Question 16

What did Strube criticise

Answer 16

• Triplett did not have statistical techniques available
• Strube’s (2005) analysis of Triplett’s data shows:
– Significant competition effect in trial 3 between Group A (competition) and Group B (alone) – no other significant differences!
– Within-subjects analysis: Contrast between average competition times (M = 37.45 sec) and average alone times (M = 38.14 sec) shows significant but small difference (p = .048)
– Small reduction of 1.81% in trial times

Question 17

What other researchers looked more closely at when groups reduce performance

Answer 17

1. Ringelmann: Social loafing
2. Zajonc: Social facilitation and social loafing in animals and humans
3. Latané: Social inhibition/social loafing

Question 18

what is the Ringelmann effect

Answer 18

Max Ringelmann conducted studies in the 1880s that examined how group size affects individual effort
Published in 1913 in a French agricultural journal
Task: Men in groups of different sizes pull on a rope
Dependent variable: Force
Result: Increase in total force exerted is less than would be expected from the addition of individual scores
Everyone pulls a little less because of diffusion of responsibility
 Motivational loss?

Question 19

What was Zajonc’s interpretation

Answer 19

Inconsistencies in findings regarding social facilitation stifle research in the 1940s and 1950s
Robert Zajonc (1965) uses drive theory to explain inconsistencies:
• Presence of other people as a source of arousal
• Arousal tends to facilitate the dominant response
• Simple/well-learned tasks: Dominant responses tend to be correct
 Presence of others should lead to social facilitation
• Complex/novel tasks: Dominant responses usually incorrect or inefficient
 Presence of others should lead to social inhibition

Question 20

What is social facilitation research

Answer 20

– Observers, co-actors, audience members

– Lead to arousal, evaluation, distraction

Question 21

what is social loafing research

Answer 21

– Co-workers or teammates

– Opportunity to reduce efforts

Question 22

How has Tripplet set a mark for good research

Answer 22

1. Multiple methodologies
2. Multiple theories, competing hypotheses
3. Precision and attention to detail
4. Modelling of real-world dynamics in a controlled environment
5. Control of confounding variables