Sports Psychology - Group Cohesion

Question 1

Define cohesion

Answer 1

Forces acting to keep members of a team within the group integrated and focused

Question 2

What are the types of cohesion

Answer 2

• task
• social

Question 3

Task cohesion is focused on…

Answer 3

The results/outcomes

Question 4

Social cohesion is focused on…..

Answer 4

The team working together

Question 5

Define interaction

Answer 5

Everyone completing different roles but having to integrate them all together

Question 6

Define co-action

Answer 6

Everyone completes the task at the same time but separately - e.g. rowing

Question 7

What is carrons antecedents

Answer 7

• the factors that may affect cohesion
• can be: Environmental, Personal, Team and Leadership factors

Question 8

What do environmental factors refer to

Answer 8

• age
• contractual obligation
• time spent as group
• size of the group

Question 9

What does personal factors refer to

Answer 9

• aspirations
• work ethic
• opinions
• happiness

Question 10

What does leadership factors refer to

Answer 10

• leadership style (autocratic, democratic, laissez faire etc.)
• the leaders relationship with teammates

Question 11

What do team factors refer to

Answer 11

• team ability
• shared experience

Question 12

What is cohesion affected by

Answer 12

• unequal pay
• size of the group
• likelihood of future success

Question 13

Lack of cohesion is caused by

Answer 13

• poor tactics
• social loafing
• misunderstanding of roles

Question 14

What is Steiner’s Model

Answer 14

Actual Productivity = Potential Productivity - Faulty Process

Question 15

What does actual productivity refer to

Answer 15

The performance of the team in the game

Question 16

What does potential productivity refer to

Answer 16

The groups best performance when at optimal cohesiveness

Question 17

What does faulty process refer to

Answer 17

Factors that could go wrong and reduce cohesiveness

Question 18

Faulty processes could be

Answer 18

• coordination problems (poor tactics, poor communication)
• motivational problems (Ringelmann effect, social loafing)

Question 19

What is the ringelmann effect

Answer 19

When group performance decreases when the group size increases

Question 20

Define social loafing

Answer 20

Individual loss of motivation in a team player due to a lack of performance identification when individual efforts are not recognised

Question 21

What causes social loafing

Answer 21

• lack of fitness
• poor leadership
• high state/trait anxiety
• social inhibition

Question 22

How do you avoid social loafing

Answer 22

• encouraging group identity (sense of belonging motivation increases etc.)
• use statistics tell and/or punish social loafing
• praise rewarding behaviour
• develop social cohesion