The topic of this blog post is one to which many Penn State students can relate. In this way, it may not be unique to me, but it is a new way to look at something that is very familiar to most of us.
What makes Penn State football games such an exciting experience for fans? Why is the Penn State student section consistently ranked the best in the nation? The most likely explanation is that people find visual interest in synchronized movements. Dance routines would not be nearly as impressive if each member of the dance troop performed independently of the others. People also find interest in large masses of people performing together. Youtube videos of dancing flash mobs are most exciting when a large number of people join the routine. I am sure you can see where this discussion is headed.
Now imagine sitting in Beaver Stadium and seeing 20,000 students cheer (and dance and scream) in unison. In what is probably the largest and most active football student section in the country, we thrive on several psychological principles to create “The Greatest Show in College Football.” The underlying theme between the three of them is that they make the student section appear to be a single unit, rather than thousands of individuals.
The first of these principles is “synchrony.” Synchrony states that elements that change at the same time tend to group together. This is best exemplified by the shakers that are handed to students after entering the stadium. With the help of the Blue Band and the stadium speakers, students are provided a common cadence for using the shakers. As they rise and fall together, the student section is transformed into a dynamic unit that operates in unison.
The second principle is “common fate.” Common fate states that elements that move in the same direction will tend to be grouped together. What better example than the wave? This is an event that unites the entire stadium, not just the student section. Whether it be regular wave, slow wave, or fast wave, it is so aesthetically interesting because we don’t view each person or section independently, but instead see a continuous chain of movement due to common fate.
The third and final principle is broader but still applicable. The global superiority effect states that the properties of the whole object take precedence over the properties of the parts of the object. The previous examples can fit into this principle as well. Viewing a single fan during any cheer would be fairly unimpressive. The fan experience at Penn State games is so unique because of the large scale of fan participation. Whether you consider the student section or the entire stadium, it is the whole and not the parts that is most impressive.
Common fate, synchrony, the global superiority effect, and other grouping principles can apply to fan participation at stadiums and arenas all over the world. Each fan base has its own traditions and cheers, but they all rely on these principles to create unique aesthetic experiences. It is just my opinion, one shared by many, that Penn State is particularly good at creating the ultimate fan experience.
I think that this was such an interesting blog post that analyzed such a common concept- cheering at Beaver Stadium- from such a unique and fascinating perspective. I too am an avid Penn State football fan, with season tickets of course, and have never taken a step back and thought about what makes our student section at this school so incredible. I completely agree with your theories on common fate, synchrony, and global superiority; all three truly do make the crowd seem like one entity, rather than a group of thousands, of unrelated people. To add to your point, I feel that the Gestalt grouping rule of similarity also applies to this situation. When all of the fans in Penn State’s student section are wearing the same colored shirts, it seems like all the individuals go together rather than being independent people. For instance, after the “White Out” homecoming game, I watched highlight videos on Youtube of the game and noticed that our section just looked like one, giant mass due to all of the white on screen. Anyway, great job on the post and I really like the connections you made between Penn State football and figure and ground concepts from PSYCH 253.