Audience Effect: A Review of its Impact on Performance
The audience effect is an established phenomenon that has been studied in both the psychological and educational realms. It refers to the influence of an audience on a person’s performance. This review examines the literature on the audience effect and its impact on performance.
The audience effect has been a topic of research since at least the late 1800s. Philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle wrote about the impact of an audience and the pressure it can add to a person’s performance. In the early 1900s, researchers began to systematically study the audience effect and its impact on performance. Research on the topic has continued to the present day.
Studies on the audience effect have primarily examined the impact on academic performance. Studies have found that the presence of an audience can have both a positive and a negative effect on performance. Specifically, the presence of an audience can lead to both increased motivation and increased anxiety. Additionally, the size, familiarity, and social status of an audience can all play a role in the impact of the audience effect.
In addition to academic performance, the audience effect has also been studied in the areas of sports and music performance. In the area of sports, the audience effect has been found to have a positive impact on performance. Specifically, the presence of an audience has been found to lead to increased motivation and improved performance. In the area of music performance, the presence of an audience has been found to have a positive impact on performance, leading to increased motivation and improved performance.
Overall, the research on the audience effect has found that the presence of an audience can have both a positive and a negative impact on performance. Specifically, the presence of an audience can lead to both increased motivation and increased anxiety. Additionally, the size, familiarity, and social status of an audience can all play a role in the impact of the audience effect.
References
Aristotle. (2004). The Nicomachean ethics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Plato. (2003). The republic. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Rhodes, R. E., & Starkes, J. L. (2003). The audience effect in sport: A review and synthesis. In R. N. Singer, H. A. Hausenblas & C. M. Janelle (Eds.), Handbook of sport psychology (2nd ed., pp. 477–497). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Starkes, J. L., & Deakin, J. M. (1985). The audience effect: Attention, conformity and social facilitation. British Journal of Social Psychology, 24, 267–278.
Welker, R. B. (1990). The effects of audience size and familiarity on musician performance anxiety. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 61, 39–45.