Chapter 15 sports psych (Team cohesion in sport)

Direct Measurement Approach

Athletes are asked direct questions about how much they like playing on the team (individual attraction), and how well they feel the team functions as a unit (group integration).

Future Participation

Athletes who belong to cohesive teams tend to continue their participation in subsequent seasons.

Task Cohesion

Degree to which members of a team work together to achieve a specific and identifiable goal.

Social Cohesion

Degree to which the members of a team like each other and enjoy personal satisfaction from being members of the team.

Consequences of Team Cohesion

Group Outcomes - Team Stability - Absolute and relative performance Individual Outcomes - Behavioral outcomes - Absolute and relative performance

Measurement of Team Cohesion

Sport Cohesiveness Questionnaire Team Cohesion Questionnaire Sport Cohesion Instrument Group Environment Questionnaire Team Psychology Questionnaire

Indirect intervention approach

Sport psychologist teaches coaches and managers team building principles who then work with athletes.

Direct intervention approach

Sport psychologist works directly with athletes for team building activities.

Homogeneity of Team Cohesion

Successful athletic teams are characterized by high levels of team cohesion among both starters and nonstarters.

Dyadic Self-Determination

Summed individual self-determined motivation between the two members of a dyadic team.

Enhanced Mood, Emotion, and Satisfaction

Team Cohesion Leads to: Increased positive mood. Perception that anxiety is facilitative. Increased individual satisfaction. Increased self-determined motivation that leads to positive emotion and satisfaction

Improving Team Efficacy

Team efficacy represents the shared feeling of confidence enjoyed by a team as a whole and not the sum of individual efficacy beliefs. One consequence of team cohesion is the development and strengthening of team efficacy.

Team Stability

Teams high in team cohesion are more likely to remain together.

Perceived Psychological Momentum

Teams that enjoy high levels of team cohesion are more likely to enjoy the benefits of psychological momentum.

Personal Satisfaction

shown to be a critically important determinant.

Specific Interventions Designed to Enhance Team Cohesion

1 Acquaint players with responsibilities of other players. 2 As coach, learn something personal about each athlete. 3 Develop pride within subunits of large teams. 4 Develop a feeling of ownership among the players. 5 Set goals and take pride in accomplishments. 6 Make sure each player learns and appreciates his role. 7 Do not expect complete social tranquility. 8 Discourage cliques and their formation. 9 Develop team drills that encourage team cooperation. 10 Highlight areas of team success even in the face of failure. 11 Work to develop collective self-efficacy in the team. 12 Develop a mastery motivational climate for the team. 13 Educate the team as to the destructive effects of jealously and how to avoid it

Communication Between Team Members

A critical determinant of cohesion in sport generally and in dyadic sports specifically (e.g. beach volleyball).

Team Cohesion

A dynamic process which is reflected in the tendency for a group to stick together and remain united in the pursuit of goals and objectives.

Team Building

A process designed to "promote an increased sense of unity and cohesiveness and enable the team to function together more smoothly and effectively

Determinants of Team Cohesion

Personal Factors Team Factors Leadership Factors Environmental Factors

Group Environment Questionnaire (GEQ)

Primary inventory of choice among sport psychologists. Composed of 18 items which measure four dimensions or sub-scales.

Improved Athletic Performance

Research supports the position that team cohesion is associated with improved athletic performance. Key Moderators include type of cohesion, type of sport, measurement of performance, and sex of athletes: Task Cohesion > Social Cohesion Interactive Sports > Coactive Sports Subjective > Objective measure of performance Male > Female

Psychometric Issues and the GEQ

Schutz et al. (1994) failed to confirm the hypothesized four factor structure of GEQ. Factorial integrity of GEQ may be improved by eliminating negatively worded items. Youth Sport Environment Questionnaire (YSEQ) developed to measure task and social team cohesion. The developers recommended that the YSEQ be used instead of the GEQ with youth participants.

Moderator of the Disruptive Effects of Self-Handicapping

Self-handicapping behavior has a disrupting influence on an athlete's preparation for future competition. Seriousness of disruption is higher on cohesive teams as opposed to teams low in team cohesion. Consequently, team cohesion has the effect of discouraging self-handicapping.

Indirect Measurement Approach

Sociogram. Team members are asked to indicate how they feel about other team members. Summed scores represent a measure of team cohesion.