Kim M. Shapcott

Member diversity and cohesion and performance in Walking Groups

The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship of group member diversity in task-related attributes (i.e., self-efficacy, level of previous physical activity, and personal goals) and task-unrelated attributes (i.e., ethnicity and gender) to task cohesiveness and task performance in walking groups (N varied from 1,324 to 1,392 groups for the analyses). For the task-related attributes, diversity in level of previous physical activity was significantly related to both task cohesion and group performance—as diversity increased, cohesion and performance decreased. For the task-unrelated attributes, diversity in gender was related to task cohesion—as diversity increased, cohesion decreased. Gender diversity was unrelated to group performance. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for the dynamics of task-oriented groups.

Cohesion in exercise groups: an overview

The purpose of the present paper is to outline the results from research that has focused on cohesion effects in exercise groups. The review contains six sections. In the first section, the constitutive definition of cohesion is provided and typical operational definitions used to assess the construct in physical activity contexts are outlined. In the second section, the question of whether cohesion is relevant in exercise groups is addressed. In the third section, we focus on the results from research that has focused on individual preferences for group- versus individual-based contexts for physical activity. Finally, the next three sections focus on results associated with the explanation (why is it?), prediction (what will be?), and intervention/control (how can we?) stages of science in relation to cohesion and physical activity-related behaviors, cognitions, and affective responses.

Group goal setting and group performance in a physical activity context

Abstract The primary purpose was to examine the relationship between group goal setting and group performance in an exercise setting. The secondary purpose was to determine whether cohesion, self‐efficacy, and physical activity level influenced the magnitude of the group‐goal/group‐performance relationship. The sample consisted of 6,356 participants (N = 1,325 groups) who were registered for an 8‐week walking program. Results revealed a positive and significant relationship between group goal setting and group performance. Analyses also showed that cohesion was not a moderator while physical activity level and self‐efficacy were; the strength of the relationship between group goal setting and group performance was enhanced as the group average for self‐efficacy and physical activity increased. Further analyses revealed that physical activity level and self‐efficacy interacted in a conjunctive manner to influence the group‐goal/group‐performance relationship; groups high in physical activity and self‐efficacy showed a stronger relationship than groups with other combinations of the two

Determinants of team-referent attributions: a multilevel analysis.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to employ a multilevel framework to examine predictors of team‐referent attributions. The individual‐level variables of interest were athletes’ perceptions of group cohesion. The group‐level determinants were nationality, gender, performance outcome, performance history, group cohesion, and level of agreement on attribution dimensions. Participants (N = 333) from male and female intercollegiate sport teams from Canada (n = 13 teams) and the United Kingdom (n = 25 teams) completed the Causal Dimension Scale for Teams (CDS‐T; Greenlees, Lane, Thelwell, Holder, & Hobson, 2005) and the Group Environment Questionnaire (GEQ; Carron, Widmeyer, & Brawley, 1985). At the individual‐level, the cohesion dimension individual attractions to group–social was found to be a significant predictor of locus of causality. Performance outcome was a significant predictor of between‐group variability on the dimensions of locus of causality and stability. The level of agreement for the dimension of locus of causality was also found to be a significant group‐level predictor for its corresponding attribution dimension. The implications for the dynamics of sport teams are discussed

The relationship between team explanatory style and team success

The purposes were to determine if explanatory style (i.e. tendency toward optimism versus pessimism) (a) is a collective team belief that (b) differentiates between more and less successful sport teams. Team success was operationalised by winning percentage. For explanatory style, athletes (n = 442) from a heterogeneous sample of sport teams (k = 39) estimated the controllability, universality, stability, and globality of a number of hypothetical negative events. Statistical analyses indicated teams do have an explanatory style that varies along a continuum of optimism/pessimism. Also, more successful teams (winning percentage of .501 or above, k = 21) were significantly (p < .05) more optimistic than less successful teams (winning percentage of .500 or below, k = 18) on controllability (“we can fix this”) and universality (“every team has this happen”). The results are discussed in terms of their relation to previous literature examining consensus (shared beliefs) in sport teams, the reformulated learned helplessness theory, and the research on individual athlete explanatory style and success.