Non-specific arousal and social facilitation
Date
1973
Authors
Görl, Joachim Guenter
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Abstract
The Hull-Spence model of general drive was tested as it applies to social facilitation effects. 60 subjects participated in complex problem-solving tasks in a 2 x 2 experimental design with home-like and laboratory condition as two levels of the Setting factor and alone and audience condition as two levels of the Evaluation factor. The laboratory condition represented a higher state of nonsocial arousal than the home-like condition. The test of drive summation or Hull-Spence theory is derived from the audience conditions. The assumption of drive summation is validated only when performance is better in the home-like setting than in the laboratory. The results revealed non-significant differences in performance in the two different arousing settings. Furthermore in all four conditions no correspondence was found between increase in drive, as measured by heartrate and release of the dominant response. Thus the applicability of the Hull-Spence theory of general drive as employed by Zajonc is questioned.