About the lecture

In this lecture, we think about the impact of an audience on athlete performance, focusing in particular on: (i) Norman Triplett, considered to be the first sports psychologist, who observed that cyclists riding together seemed to perform better; (ii) social facilitation theory, which proposes that individuals perform better when they are competing directly with others, as per Triplett’s observations; (iii) Robert Zajonc’s drive theory, which proposed that the presence of an audience increases arousal, which in turn increases performance; (iv) the potential for arousal to diminish performance, if the athlete does not deem themselves competent at the task.

About the lecturer

Dr Matthew Slater is associate professor in the School of Health, Science and Wellbeing at Staffordshire University. Dr Slater’s research interests include the social identity approach to leadership, team functioning and psychophysiological responses to stress. Some of Dr Slater’s recent publications include 'Cognitive appraisals and team performance under stress: A simulation study' (2020) and 'A brief mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) intervention: investigating the effects with recreational runners' (2020).