Competition and Cooperation

Question 1

Give an example of a quote about competition/winning by Kobe Bryant

Answer 1

Winning takes precedence over all. There’s no grey area. No almosts

Question 2

What did Andrew Carnegie say about competition in 1889?

Answer 2

The law of competition may be sometimes hard for the individual, it is best for the race because it ensures the survival of the fittest in every department

Question 3

What did Vince Lombardi say in 1969 about competition?

Answer 3

Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing

Question 4

What is the definition of competition given by Coakley 1994?

Answer 4

A social process that occurs when rewards are given to people on the basis of how their performances compare with the performances of others doing the same task

Question 5

What is the definition of competition given Johnson and Johnson in 1989?

Answer 5

An actual situation in which two or more people vie for a mutually exclusive achievement outcome

Question 6

What are the three levels of competition?

Answer 6

• Intrapersonal
• Interpersonal
• Intergroup

Question 7

What is Zero Sum Competition?

Answer 7

Where one person achieves the goal/wins, all others must fail

Question 8

What is the reasoning behind zero sum competition improving performance

Answer 8

Directly competing for goal brings out the best in everyone and encourages people to give it their best

Question 9

Is there any evidence of a link between zero sum competition and performance?

Answer 9

No

Question 10

What are the negative emotional consequences of Zero Sum Competition?

Answer 10

• High levels of worry, evaluative concern, doubt, contingent self-esteem and anxiety: so decreased performance
• Losing leads to psychological/behavioural dropout and competition learnt helplessness

Question 11

What are the 5 problems with Zero Sum Competition according to Deutsch 2006?

Answer 11

• Communication is impaired
• Increases suspicion
• Decreases cooperation
• Increases threat of others
• Increase conflict

Question 12

How is communication impaired in zero sum competition? (Deutsch 2006)

Answer 12

Lying, tricks, false promises, and other tactics are used to gain advantage so communication cannot be trusted

Question 13

How does zero sum competition increase suspicion of others? (Deutsch 2006)

Answer 13

Anything another person does could have an ulterior motive to give them an advantage to win. Causes someone to focus on other’s negative qualities more than positives.

Question 14

How does zero sum competition decrease cooperation? (Deutsch 2006)

Answer 14

Incentivised not to cooperate because that might decrease any advantage that one party has on another

Question 15

How does zero sum competition increase threat of others? (Deutsch 2006)

Answer 15

Conflicting parties seek to enhance their own skills and reduce the skills of others. Any increase in the skills of the other is seen as threatening to oneself

Question 16

How does zero sum competition increase conflict? (Deutsch 2006)

Answer 16

Stimulates the view that solution to conflict can only be one person vs the other, so leads to physical threats, violence and other coercive threats.

Question 17

why is zero sum competition bad?

Answer 17

We are social creatures that evolved to work together

Question 18

What is social independence?

Answer 18

When people share common goals and each person’s outcomes are affected by the actions of others

Question 19

How do people behave according to the ‘social independence theory’ by Johnson and Johnson (1989)?

Answer 19

• Work together to accomplish shared goals
• Work against eachother when only one can achieve the goal
• Work by oneself to accomplish goals unrelated to the goals of others

Question 20

Why is cooperation beneficial according to Deutsch 2006?

Answer 20

Induces:

• Readiness to be helpful
• Openness in communication
• Orientation toward enhancing mutual skills
• Feelings of Agreement
• Sensitivity to common interests

Question 21

How does cooperation improve openness in communication, proposed by Deutsch 2006?

Answer 21

Ideas are verbalised and group members are attentive to eachother, accepting of other members, and influenced by them. Fewer difficulties in communicating than in competition

Question 22

What did Johnson and Johnson 1989 say about when competition can be beneficial?

Answer 22

Competition can be beneficial when it is appropriate to relational value

Question 23

What are the four criteria of relationally appropriate competitions?

Answer 23

• Winning is not the focal outcome
• All participants have fair and reasonable chance of winning
• Rules and Winning Criteria are specific and clear
• Participants able to monitor eachother/engage in social comparison for learning and modelling

Question 24

What are the two ways that sport fail the most to achieve relationally appropriate competition?

Answer 24

Ensuring winning is not the focal outcome, and ensuring all participants have a fair and reasonable chance of winning

Question 25

In what scenario is appropriate competition especially important?

Answer 25

Youth sport, to optimal development

Question 26

How does Dutch youth football ensure appropriate competition?

Answer 26

Formal competition is only introduced at U18-U19 level to ensure optimal development before that

Question 27

How does the new FA youth competition pathway ensure appropriate competition for youth development?

Answer 27

League tables only introduced at 12 to prevent too early competitiveness

Question 28

What is a method that could be implemented to ensure that all participants have a fair and reasonable chance of winning?

Answer 28

Bio-banding