What didTriplett really find? A contemporary analysis of the first experiment in social psychology.
In 1898, Norman Triplett published was has been called the first experiment in social psychology and sports psychology. Claiming to demonstrate "the dynamogenic factors in pacemaking and competition," this oft-cited article began the serious investigation of social facilitation. This area of research now numbers in the hundreds of published works, includes the study of humans and other animials, and encompasses basic research and applied settings. But what did Triplett really find? I examine Triplett's original data and show that very little evidence existed for the social facilitation of the simple task he investigated. These analyses indicate the need to correct contemporary accounts of Triplett's work and underscore the differences in how research was evaluated at that time compared with today.
Department of Psychology, Washington University, St Louis, MO 63130, USA. mjstrube@wustl.edu
Michael J
MJ
Strube
D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D011593:Psychology, Social / Q000266:history*; D013178:Sports Medicine / Q000266:history*; D014481:United States