QUIZ #5: Chapter 8: Group Cohesion

What is the more widely accepted definition of Cohesion as proposed by Carron?

" A dynamic process that is reflected in the tendency for a group to stick together and remain united in pursuit of its instrumental objectives and/or for the satisfaction of member affective needs"

What are the 2 types of forces that act on members in a group and affect cohesion?

- Attractiveness of the group - Means control

What are the 3 categories that personal factors are divided into?

- Demographic Attributes: member similarity, sex - Cognitions and Motives - Behavior

Ways to increase cohesion in exercise settings

- Enhance attendance rates: Dropouts have less regard for both task and social cohesion than do participants - Build cohesion through a team approach: Distinctiveness contributes to a sense of group identity, unity, and cohesion (making T-shirts, etc)

What are the 4 major factors that affect the development of cohesion in sport and exercise according to Carron's Conceptual Model of Cohesion?

- Environmental Factors - Personal Factors - Leadership Factors - Team Factors

What are the 2 major categories of the model that the GEQ is based off of?

- Group Integration: a member's perception of the group as a totality - Individual Attraction to the group: A member's personal attraction to the group

Ways to enhance cohesion in a sports setting

- Have team building which addresses: - Group norms - Individual Roles - Distinctiveness - Individual Sacrifice - Communication and Interaction -

What are the 4 stages of the Team-Building Model?

- Introductory stage - Conceptual stage - Practical stage - Intervention stage

MAPS

- Mission - Assessment - Plan - Systematic Evaluation

What are some benefits of cohesion?

- Passion - Self-efficacy - High return to team rates - Lower levels of depression and anxiety

While performance is the biggest factor to affect cohesion, there are some others. What are they?

- Team Satisfaction - Stability - Conformity - Adherence - Social Support - Group Goals

What are some examples of social interventions to increase cohesiveness?

- Team camp outs - Social get togethers outside the context of sport

What are some examples of task interventions to increase cohesiveness?

- Team goal setting - Team communication

What are some ways that coaches and leaders can foster group cohesion?

-Communicate Effectively - Explain individual roles in team success - Set challenging group goals - Develop pride within subunits - Encourage group identity - Avoid formation of social cliques - Avoid excess turnover - Conduct periodic team meetings - Enhance team efficacy - Know the team climate - Get to know others and enhance personal disclosure

Group and Environment Questionnaire

-Distinguishes between group and individual as well as social and task concerns

What are 2 ways of measuring cohesion?

-Questionnaires - Sociograms

Sociogram

A tool used to measure social cohesion

Means control

Benefits that a member can derive by being associated with the group

True or False: More cohesiveness is related to better performance in only interactive sports

False. Although somewhat counterintuitive, more cohesiveness is related to better performance in both interactive and coactive sports **** However, the absolute level of cohesiveness is typically higher in interactive sports than coactive sports

True or False: Small classes are much more cohesive than large ones

False. It is possible to maintain a sense of cohesion even in relatively large groups with the implementation of an appropriate team-building program

True or False: Larger groups are more cohesive than smaller groups

False. Smaller groups tend to be more cohesive than larger groups

True or False: The more cohesive the group, the less influence the group has on its individual members

False. The more cohesive the group, the more influence it has on its members. *** Therefore, the best performance occurs when cohesion is high and the group norm of productivity is also high. This is as opposed to a group with high cohesion and a low norm of productivity

True or False: Questionnaires have been the most popular way to measure group cohesion because the show particular individuals relate to each other, if cliques are developing, and if some group members are socially isolated

False. While questionnaires are the most common way of measuring group cohesion but they do not measure these factors

Team factors

Group task characteristics, group productivity, norms, desire for group success, group roles, group position, and team stability

Teams that stay together a long time and have a strong desire for group success exhibit higher/lower levels of group cohesion

Higher ** Sharing experiences of group success and failures over a period of time helps unify the team against the opposition

Where are the most frequently chosen (most popular) individuals placed in the sociogram?

In the center

What has been suggested to be the most important personal factor associated with the development of both task and social cohesion on sports teams?

Individual Satisfaction *** Similarity (in attitudes, aspirations, commitments, and expectations) has also been cited to be an important personal factor

Attractiveness of the group

Individual's desire for interpersonal interactions and involvement with other members of the group

What was the problem with the Sport Cohesiveness Questionnaire used in early research?

No reliability or validity measures were established and it pretty much only addressed social cohesion

While situational/environmental factors are fairly constant and usually apply to all teams, there is a lot of variation in ____________________ factors.

Personal

Direction of Casualty

Refers to whether cohesion leads to performance success or if performance success leads to cohesion

Coactive Sports

Require much less, if any, team interaction and coordination for the achievement of goals

Interactive Sports

Require team members to work together and coordinate their actions

What is the most commonly used questionnaire?

The Group Environment Questionnaire

Task Cohesion

The degree to which members of a group work together to achieve common goals Examples include: - Wanting to win a championship: depends on the team's coordinated effort/teamwork

Social Cohesion

The degree to which members of a team like each other and enjoy one another's company ** Social cohesion is often equated with interpersonal attraction

Personal Factors

The individual characteristics of group members

Leadership Factors

The leadership style and behaviors that professionals exhibit and the relationships they establish with their groups

Environmental Factors

The normative forces holding a group together - The most general and remote factor

What should a sociogram reveal if the right questions are asked?

The pattern of interpersonal relationships in a group

What is the best described relationship between cohesion and team performance according to the direction of casualty?

The relationship between the two is circular. That is performance success leads to increased cohesion, which in turn leads to increased performance

Cohesion

The total field of forces which act on members to remain in the group

True or False: According to the GEQ, both the group as a whole and the individuals in the group have both social and task aspects

True

True or False: Both task and social cohesiveness interventions can be effective in enhancing cohesiveness and improving performance

True

True or False: Coaching techniques such as inequity, embarrassment, and ridicule can decrease feelings of cohesion

True

True or False: Cohesion is multidimensional, dynamic, and affective and is perceived to be a combination of task and social dimensions

True

True or False: Groups higher in cohesion are more resistant to disruption than groups that are lower in cohesion

True

True or False: Knowing the relationships based on the sociogram will help coaches deal with interpersonal problems before they become disruptive

True

True or False: Success is not always a result of team cohesion- Some teams win despite a lack of cohesion

True

True or False: The MAPS model advises coaches on how to build a sports team

True

True or False: The distinction between task ad social cohesion helps explain how teams can overcome conflict to succeed

True

True or False: To understand the true relationship between cohesion and performance, it is important to consider the task structure and demands. That is, it is important to characterize the nature of interactions among team members from interactive to coactive

True

True or False: Studies show that in general, higher team cohesion has led to greater team success

True *** However, the actual relationship between the two is unclear because there have also been several studies that show a negative relationship between them

True or False: The level of competition seems to influence cohesion

True. Lower level teams seem to be more cohesive than higher level ones: High school teams are more cohesive than collegiate teams

True or False: Research has shown that the role of leaders is vital to team cohesion

True. Specifically, clear and consistent communication from coaches and captains regarding team goals, tasks, and roles significantly influences cohesion *** The perception of compatibility between the leader and group members also increases feelings of cohesion