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Zajonc's Drive Theory
Zajonc's drive theory serves as a prime example of how scientific theories use unobservable concepts to explain complex phenomena. The theory explains social facilitation and social inhibition by proposing that being observed by an audience triggers a state of physiological arousal. This unobserved arousal increases the probability of an individual executing their dominant response, leading to better performance on well-practiced tasks but worse performance on relatively unpracticed ones.
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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU
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Hypothesis
Evaluation of Scientific Theories
Zajonc's Drive Theory
Habituation Theory
Number-of-Examples Theory
Ease-of-Retrieval Theory
Post-Hoc Theory Explanation Approach
Benefits of Using Established Theories
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In psychological research, scientific theories are used to interpret data. Match each element of scientific inquiry with the role it plays in the development of a theory.
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Learn After
Social Inhibition
Example of an 'If-Then' Hypothesis: Cockroach Study
Example of Modifying a Theory
Zajonc's Cockroach Study on Drive Theory
Social Facilitation
According to Zajonc's drive theory, how does the physiological arousal triggered by an audience affect an individual's performance?
According to Zajonc's drive theory, arrange the following steps in the correct causal order to explain how social presence influences task performance.
A researcher is observing participants as they attempt to solve a complex, unfamiliar logic puzzle for the first time. Based on Zajonc’s Drive Theory, the researcher should expect these participants to solve the puzzle more accurately when being observed than when working alone.
Zajonc's drive theory explains human performance by connecting social presence to internal mechanisms. Match each theoretical component with its specific functional role in this explanatory system.
Zajonc's Drive Theory explains the effects of an audience by proposing a causal chain. Which of the following best describes the role of 'physiological arousal' in this chain?
According to Zajonc's drive theory, the state of physiological arousal triggered by an audience increases the probability that an individual will perform their _____ response.
If a researcher finds that the presence of an audience significantly improves the performance of a beginner on a complex and unfamiliar task, this specific result would be evaluated as _____ with the core predictions of Zajonc's Drive Theory.