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Role clarity/ambiguity represents the degree to which group members understand their role responsibilities within their group. Previous research has shown that greater role clarity perceptions held...

Recent literature identified several informal roles (i.e., those that naturally arise without coaches’ delegation of responsibilities) that may be relevant for sport teams. Among them, team comedia...

The objectives of this study were to (a) develop a conceptualization of role acceptance, later situated within the broader concept of role commitment, pertinent to the sport environment; (b) develop a measure integrating direct perceptions of role commitment and the bases of this variable; and (c) determine if role commitment could predict athletes’ intentions to return. To accomplish these objectives, multiple methods were used across 4 projects that leveraged the extant literature on acceptance and commitment perceptions from sport and organizational psychology, engaged athletes in focus groups in a think-aloud protocol, and obtained responses on iterative versions of a new role-commitment questionnaire from over 700 athletes from a variety of competitive and developmental levels. Overall, this approach captured the bases of role commitment (affective, normative, and continuance perspectives), as well as direct perceptions of role commitment, and demonstrated an important link to intentions to return to sport.

Team building (TB) is recognized as one of the most prevalent and promising group-development interventions applied in sport. However, most coaches lack the necessary information to effectively and efficiently target and enhance specific group characteristics and processes. The aim of this study was to develop and apply the Team Environment AssessMent (TEAM) to better inform a TB intervention. Twenty-three male adolescent athletes (mean age 17.9 years) from an elite hockey team completed the TEAM and measures of cohesion before and after a TB intervention. Based on initial TEAM scores, role acceptance and leadership were identified and purposefully targeted in the TB intervention. Athletes’ perceptions of role acceptance, leadership, and task cohesion were stronger after the TB intervention. Furthermore, follow-up interviews with team members and coaches provided additional empirical support for the utility of the TEAM to assess and enhance the efficiency of a TB intervention in sport.

Given the prevalence of group contexts in sport and the importance of the social environment for motivating youth participants, understanding and enhancing group dynamics are critical to facilitate youths’ participation in, and development through, sport. The current objective was to report on a scoping review that was employed to summarize research focused on the dynamics in youth sport groups. The review identified several themes that have been focused on with regularity (i.e., cohesion) and identified others with opportunities for greater incorporation in youth sport research (e.g., cooperation). Furthermore, encouragement is provided to move beyond survey-based, cross-sectional research and to give greater consideration to a developmental approach to understanding child and youth perceptions of the groups to which they belong. Overall, there are many opportunities for researchers to study the dynamics of youth sport groups with an aim to enhance the experiences of young athletes and facilitate group functioning.

The purpose of the present study was to examine parental involvement in youth athletes’ task role development through the perspectives of important youth sport stakeholders (e.g., athletes, parents...

Objectives Existing literature consistently demonstrates that subjective norms within the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) are a weak predictor of physical activity (PA) intentions, which contradicts humans’ innate need to relate to others. A potential explanation relates to methodological shortcomings. Previous studies often ignored individuals’ salient normative referents (e.g., parents, friends) and the proposed sub-components of subjective norms: normative belief (NB) and motivation to comply (MC) with the pressures. The purpose of this study was to reassess the relationship between subjective norms and PA intentions by addressing these shortcomings. Design Online surveys were administered at baseline (N = 535) and two-weeks post-baseline (N = 340). Method Salient normative referents were elicited with each participant, and NB and MC were assessed in relation to the individually elicited normative referents. Response surface analyses were used to examine the interaction of NB and MC in predicting PA intentions. Results NB and MC interacted in a complex manner predicting PA intentions. Intentions were higher when NB and MC were both high or both low, and when NB was high and MC was low. The results varied across normative referents. Conclusions The current results suggest that the weak support for subjective norms found in previous studies may be a function of overlooking individuals’ salient normative referents and their willingness to comply with the normative pressures.

Cultural diversity has the potential to influence important individual and group outcomes in sport contexts. Prior to examining these relationships, a clear understanding of how cultural diversity ...

Although researchers have offered insights across a range of topics (e.g., cohesion, leadership, roles, etc.), a recent review suggested that the field of group dynamics in physical activity has a strong potential for growth as an area of focus for research (Eys & Spink, 2016). The objectives of the present review are to (a) highlight the importance of group dynamics within physical activity contexts, (b) review progress made on select but key longstanding and emerging topics, and (c) provide suggestions for future research that will facilitate the progression of the field. To this end, a case is made for the necessity to understand group dynamics based on the prevalence of groups in sport and exercise contexts, in addition to the potential for satiating the fundamental need to belong (Baumeister & Leary, 1995). Finally, key topics and future research directions are embedded within four broad sections including (a) setting the stage (e.g., the group environment, team selection, and socialization), (b) structural issues (e.g., roles, leadership), (c) group processes and emergent states (e.g., cohesion), and (d) the application of group dynamics principles. Overall, there are tremendous opportunities for researchers to contribute to the theory, research, and practice of group dynamics in sport and exercise.

Effective leadership is a collaborative effort, requiring a degree of complementarity in how people enact roles of leadership and followership. Using a novel online vignette methodology, we experimentally tested how three contextual factors influenced coaches’ responses to challenge-oriented acts of followership, as well as investigated two potential mechanisms. Coaches (N = 232) watched videos of an athlete provided unsolicited challenge-oriented feedback to a coach. Videos varied by the (a) athlete’s status, (b) presence of third-party observers, and (c) stage of the decision-making process. Following the video, we assessed coaches’ evaluations of the athlete. Challenge-oriented followership was perceived more favorably when enacted by an athlete in one-on-one (vs. in a group) and before a decision has been reached (vs. after a decision is reached). Coaches may appreciate proactivity from athletes in positions of followership, but challenge-oriented followership behaviors enacted at the wrong time and place can elicit negative reactions.

Though engaging in physical activity (PA) is associated with several health benefits, physical inactivity rates remain high. Previous research revealed that descriptive norms (i.e., perceptions of others' PA) positively relate to PA intentions/behaviours. This study tested whether self-efficacy mediated the influence of descriptive norms on PA intentions and behaviours, and whether the relationship between descriptive norms and self-efficacy was moderated by perceived similarity with normative referents.Online questionnaires were administered.Descriptive norms positively predicted PA behaviour frequency at time 2 indirectly via self-efficacy and PA intentions. These indirect effects were attenuated when baseline PA behaviour frequency was accounted for. There was no support for perceived similarity as a moderator, which may be attributed to a potential ceiling effect or the nature of items used to assess this perception.The findings support the notion that individuals may feel more efficacious when they perceive that others are successfully engaging in the targeted task/activity. Future interventions may consider providing descriptive norm messages to individuals who lack self-efficacy or previous PA experience to promote their PA.

Almost all mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are delivered in group format. Given the benefits of group work for children/youth, the authors wondered how researchers studying MBIs disc...

How can we distinguish between a collection of individuals exercising alongside one another from group that is exercising 'together'? This question is central to research on the extent that individuals perceive their fitness settings to entail core features of groups. To advance understanding of the nature of groupness and its implications in exercise, the current study (a) evaluated a brief measure of groupness and (b) examined the extent that groupness predicted perceptions of exertion and affect.Participants included 633 exercisers (MGroupness, affect, exertion, and group cohesion.Exploratory structural equation modelling provided support for a two-factor solution reflecting entitativity and group structure as subdimensions of groupness. The groupness factors were differentially associated with theoretically relevant aspects of classes (e.g. synchronised movement), the individual (e.g. number of members interacted with), as well as group cohesion. Groupness also predicted perceived exertion and affect.Our research provides support for a brief measure of groupness, advances theory related to how individuals perceive exercise groups, and provides evidence regarding how broader experiences during exercise may relate to exercisers' perceptions of groupness.

In a mixed methods study, we explored the suitability of a 12-week arts-based mindfulness group program for adults experiencing anxiety/depression. We were interested in learning if an arts-based m...

The purpose of this research was to develop a questionnaire to assess the multidimensional construct of teamwork in sport and to examine various aspects of validity related to that instrument. A preliminary questionnaire was first created, and feedback on this instrument was then obtained from a sample of team-sport athletes (n = 30) and experts in sport psychology (n = 8). A modified version of the questionnaire was then completed by 607 athletes from 48 teams, and 5 multilevel confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to examine the structural properties of data derived from this instrument. Evidence of adequate model-data fit along with measurement reliability was obtained for each of the 5 models. Taken together, the results from this research provide support for the content, substantive, and structural aspects of construct validity for data derived from the 66-item Multidimensional Assessment of Teamwork in Sport.

This case study investigated the selection process of a high-performance military team and explored potential implications for sport through an organizational psychology perspective. An instrumenta...

Social norms are unwritten rules about how to behave in a group, and have been shown to impact health behaviour change. There are equivocal findings regarding social norms in the context of physica...

Learning to work interdependently within a team environment, and gaining an understanding of the importance of contributing one’s efforts across a variety of roles, are oft-cited benefits of youth sport involvement. Roles are represented by the expected behaviors for an individual who occupies a specific position in a group. Within this chapter, we first provide an overview of role concepts and key contributions within the sport psychology literature to provide a knowledge base for role involvement. Subsequently, consideration is given toward developmental issues and challenges with respect to successfully communicating and integrating role responsibilities within youth sport environments. Finally, we provide several directions for future research, including a need for a more robust understanding of how and when role perceptions (and group-related perceptions more broadly) become relevant for youth sport participants.

A considerable body of research supports the importance of team member selection and socialization on group performance. Yet, despite this evidence there is a surprising paucity of selection and socialization research oriented toward sport generally, and youth athletes specifically. Indeed, regardless of competition level or sport type, youth athletes are selected and socialized into teams. Given the prevalence and importance of team selection and socialization, the processes involved can have impactful and lasting impressions on youth athletes’ development and future sport participation. Within this chapter, we provide an overview of the conceptual background and key literature on team member selection and socialization. We then highlight developmental considerations for coaches and sport practitioners, and offer a number of exciting avenues for future research with youth athletes.

Group contexts such as fitness classes are popular forms of physical activity, and studying them can uncover new ways to promote exercise adherence. Focusing on the potential for group fitness experiences to vary from class-to-class, we examined how exercisers’ dynamic perceptions of groupness relate to recalled perceptions of exercise enjoyment, affective valence, and exertion. These outcome variables are in focus because they are theoretically construed to be determinants of physical activity. Using an intensive sampling methodology across a two-week period, 97 adult exercisers (M(age) = 42.35 years) completed surveys following each fitness class attended (695 unique responses). Using multilevel confirmatory factor analysis, we confirmed a theorized two-factor structure of groupness at both the within-and between-person levels. Multilevel modeling revealed that class-to-class fluctuations in exercisers’ perceptions of groupness explained a considerable portion of variance in recalled perceptions of exertion, enjoyment, and affective valence. Specifically, during classes in which exercisers’ perceptions of groupness were relatively higher, exercisers reported more recalled enjoyment, affective valence, and exertion. Focusing on how variability in groupness perceptions may influence exercise adherence, these findings demonstrate the value in fitness classes feeling like authentic groups. In studying the dynamic aspects of group evaluations, the current study makes novel advancements to group theories applied to exercise settings. Perhaps most notably, individuals’ variations in their cognitive evaluations of fitness groups were closely linked to their affective responses to exercise.

The ways in which newcomers are integrated into sport teams may have broad consequences for the athletes entering the group, as well as for the existing team members. Drawing from organizational socialization theory, the current research developed a questionnaire to assess athletes’ perceptions of how newcomers are socialized into their group. Across four studies, think-aloud interviews (N = 8), an expert panel review (N = 6), cross-sectional tests of the factor structure (NStudy 2 = 197; NStudy 3 = 460), and a two-wave correlational design (NStudy 4 = 194) were used to evaluate the construct validity and the internal consistency of the Sport Team Socialization Tactics Questionnaire (STSTQ). Collectively, these efforts identified a three-factor structure underlying the STSTQ and provided preliminary evidence for its validity. The STSTQ enables researchers to systematically examine the individual- and group-level consequences associated with the socialization tactics implemented in sport teams.

The purpose of the current research was to (a) develop and establish the factor structure of the Czech and Slovak versions of the Youth Sport Environment Questionnaire (YSEQ; Eys, Loughead, Bray, & Carron, 2009) and (b) examine the relationship between team performance and cohesion with a sample of European elite youth sport teams. At time point one, with 352 elite youth athletes from 22 teams, support was obtained for a two factor structure underlying the YSEQ. Based on data collected at the second ( N = 291) and third ( N = 246) time points, multilevel analyses revealed that, when controlling for midseason cohesion, midseason team performance significantly and positively predicted task and social cohesion later in the season. Neither task nor social cohesion predicted team performance. In addition to adapting the YSEQ for use in a unique context, these findings reveal the nature of the cohesion-performance relationship in elite youth sport.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the reciprocal relationship between peer-initiated motivational climate and group cohesion. Measures of peer climate and cohesion were completed across the first half of a competitive season. Controlling for early season perceptions of the dependent variables, hierarchical regression results from 189 participants revealed that early season ego-related climate negatively predicted task cohesion near midseason (p

Many athletes experience a discrepancy between the roles they expect to fulfill and the roles they eventually occupy. Drawing from met expectations theory, we applied response surface methodology to examine how role expectations, in relation to role experiences, influence perceptions of group cohesion among Canadian Interuniversity Sport athletes (N = 153). On the basis of data from two time points, as athletes approached and exceeded their role contribution expectations, they reported higher perceptions of task cohesion. Furthermore, as athletes approached and exceeded their social involvement expectations, they reported higher perceptions of social cohesion. These response surface patterns—pertaining to task and social cohesion—were driven by the positive influence of role experiences. On the basis of the interplay between athletes’ role experiences and their perception of the group environment, efforts to improve team dynamics may benefit from focusing on improving the quality of role experiences, in conjunction with developing realistic role expectations.

Socialization tactics for integrating newcomers into sport teams can be key to the evolution of relationships within the group and can lead to positive or negative consequences throughout the season. For this reason, across two studies with distinct contexts, we sought to unpack the mechanisms through which socialization tactics are related to group and individual outcomes. Study 1 examined the relation between socialization tactics and cohesion, and examined role clarity as a potential mediator of this relation with 170 national-level soccer players. We observed a strong positive association between socialization tactics and cohesion, with role clarity mediating the relation between socialization tactics and Group Integration – Task. Study 2 analyzed the relation between socialization tactics (measured at T1) and intentions to return (measured at T2), with cohesion perceptions (measured at T1) as a mediator of this relation. Results from the responses of 214 club-level soccer players indicated that that Individual Attractions to the Group–Task helped explain the socialization tactics-intentions to return relation. As the arrival of new team members is a persistent and consequential occurrence for team dynamics in sport, our results provide insight into how socialization tactics relate to a range of key individual athlete perceptions about their sport experiences.

Aim Recent literature suggested that informal roles can naturally arise in sport teams and impact team functioning. This case study aimed to identify the key factors involved in informal role emergence in sport teams. Method Data were collected from 27 players from one male and one female intercollegiate basketball team using multiple methods. Questionnaires were administered four times during the sport season (October–February) to assess athlete personality and informal role occupancy, and a regular season game for each team was video-recorded to objectively code athletes’ behaviors. Qualitative interviews were conducted following the end of the season with coaches and athletes from one team. Role profiles were created for each athlete, which included the information regarding his/her personality, role occupancy, and behavior frequencies. The role profiles were then organized into different role categories (e.g., task vs. social specialist) based on similarities in role occupancy, and the patterns in personality and behavior frequencies were examined within and across the categories. Interview data were analyzed thematically to complement the role profiles. Results Members who occupied both task- and social-oriented informal roles were more extraverted and active, and had longer tenure compared to those who occupied no informal roles. Members specializing in task-oriented roles displayed lower extraversion and varying degrees of activity, and a social specialist was more extraverted and active. Deviant members who occupied negative roles were first-year members. The interview results suggested various person-related and contextual factors that influenced informal role development. Conclusion Informal role emergence is a complex process that occurs via an interaction of multiple factors. A conceptual framework is proposed, which offers several avenues for future research to continue to investigate role dynamics in groups.

Summary Although proactive followership behavior is often viewed as instrumental to group success, leaders do not always respond favorably to the actions of overly eager followers. Guided by a constructivist perspective, we investigated how interpretations of followership differ across the settings in which acts of leadership and followership emerge. In thematically analyzing data from semi-structured interviews with leaders of high-performing teams, we depict how the construal of follower behaviors relates to various contextual factors underscoring leader–follower interactions. Prototypical characteristics were described in relation to ideal followership (i.e., active independent thought, ability to process self-related information accurately, collective orientation, and relational transparency). However, proactive followership behaviors were subject to the situational and relational demands that were salient during leader–follower interactions. Notably, the presence of third-party observers, the demands of the task, stage in the decision-making process, suitability of the targeted issue, and relational dynamics influenced which follower behaviors were viewed as appropriate from the leader's perspective. These findings provide insight into when leaders are more likely to endorse proactive followership, suggesting that proactive followership requires an awareness of how to calibrate one's actions in accordance with prevailing circumstances. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

When reminded of the impending end to their athletic career, it may benefit athletes to prioritize other identities and goals that will be more important in the future. However, by applying a general process model of psychological threat and defense (Jonas et al., 2014), we conducted 2 studies to test the idea that individuals may actually report stronger identification as an athlete to counter goal-discrepant perceptions aroused by a sport career threat. Both studies used a between-subjects design, where participants were assigned to a condition in which they either envisioned the end of their athletic career, a control condition, their own mortality (i.e., a universal goal-discrepant threat, Study 1 only), or the end of their student career (Study 2 only). In Study 1, with a sample of interuniversity sport athletes (n = 81), participants in the universal goal-discrepant threat and the end of athletic career threat conditions reported greater identification as an athlete relative to a control condition. Study 2 (n = 85) replicated these findings, and also revealed that reflecting on the end of their athletic career elicited a distinct pattern of identification when contrasted with a condition where participants imagined the end of their student career. These studies provide novel evidence of how a mere reminder about the end of an athletic career can influence athletic identity exclusivity. Consistent with theories of psychological threat and defense, university sport participants may turn toward their athletic identity as a way to counter goal-discrepant thoughts.

Athletes’ precompetitive appraisal is important because it determines emotions, which may impact performance. When part of a team, athletes perform their appraisal within a social context, and in this study we examined whether perceived team cohesion, as a characteristic of this context, related to appraisal. We asked 386 male and female intercollegiate team-sport athletes to respond to measures of cohesion and precompetitive appraisal before an in-season game. For males and females, across all teams, (a) an appraisal of increased competition importance was predicted by perceptions of higher task cohesion (individual level), better previous team performance, and a weaker opponent (team level) and (b) an appraisal of more positive prospects for coping with competitive demands was predicted by higher individual attractions to the group (individual level). Consequently, athletes who perceive their team as more cohesive likely appraise the pending competition as a challenge, which would benefit both emotions and performance.

The current study examined the influence of a motivational climate intervention with recreational youth soccer coaches on athletes’ perceptions of group cohesion. Results of a repeated-measures MANOVA demonstrated a significant Time Condition interaction, p .01, p .09, with follow-up univariate tests indicating differences between groups for perceptions of both task, p .02, p .05, and social cohesion, p .01, p .06, across time. In essence, coaches in the motivational climate intervention had athletes who demonstrated elevated perceptions of task and social cohesion by the end-of-season measure (.44 Cohen’s d .49). Overall, results (a) highlight the efficacy of the motivational climate intervention with coaches through increased perceptions of task-focused behaviors, and (b) demonstrate the ability to positively influence perceptions of cohesion in youth sport through a manipulation of basic coaching behaviors. Implications and future directions are offered as they relate to team-building interventions and adherence in a youth sport context.

Socialization tactics are often used to manage initial group member interactions in a way that facilitates transition experiences. Although this process is heavily researched in organizational contexts, we sought to extend this line of inquiry to sport by examining the nature of socialization tactics used to integrate new members into existing teams. Interviews were conducted with 12 coaches and 12 athletes from several Canadian Interuniversity Sport teams to explore the nature of socialization and the circumstances underscoring why certain approaches are taken over others. A key process involved establishing congruency of role expectations between incoming athletes and group leaders, and socialization processes balanced expectations of conformity with encouragement of individual personalities within the group. A conceptual basis to examine socialization into team sport environments is discussed in relation to the extant organizational theories, and the practical implications of delineating sport socialization tactics are forwarded.

The degree to which team members believe that they rely on one another to perform successfully and achieve collective outcomes may relate to perceptions about the extent that they integrate the group within their own identity. This study examined the relationship between interdependence and social identity among 422 high school team sport athletes. Youth completed measures of task and outcome interdependence, as well as social identity. Multilevel analyses revealed that higher perceptions of outcome interdependence at an individual and team level predicted greater social identity. Results highlight the role of outcome interdependence on athletes’ perceptions of social identity in sport teams.

Sprint interval training (SIT) protocols involving brief (≤15 s) work bouts improve aerobic and anaerobic performance, highlighting peak speed generation as a potentially important adaptive stimulus. To determine the physiological and psychological effects of reducing the SIT work bout duration, while maintaining total exercise and recovery time, 43 healthy males (n = 27) and females (n = 16) trained for 4 weeks (3 times/week) using one of the following running SIT protocols: (i) 30:240 (n = 11; 4–6 × 30-s bouts, 4 min rest); (ii) 15:120 (n = 11; 8–12 × 15-s bouts, 2 min rest); (iii) 5:40 (n = 12; 24–36 × 5-s bouts, 40 s rest); or (iv) served as a nonexercising control (n = 9). Protocols were matched for total work (2–3 min) and rest (16–24 min) durations, as well as the work-to-rest ratio (1:8 s). Pre- and post-training measures included a graded maximal oxygen consumption test, a 5-km time trial, and a 30-s maximal sprint test. Self-efficacy, enjoyment, and intentions were assessed following the last training session. Training improved maximal oxygen consumption (5.5%; P = 0.006) and time-trial performance (5.2%; P = 0.039), with a main effect of time for peak speed (1.7%; P = 0.042), time to peak speed (25%; P < 0.001), and body fat percentage (1.4%; P < 0.001) that appeared to be driven by the training. There were no group effects for self-efficacy (P = 0.926), enjoyment (P = 0.249), or intentions to perform SIT 3 (P = 0.533) or 5 (P = 0.951) times/week. This study effectively demonstrated that the repeated generation of peak speed during brief SIT work bouts sufficiently stimulates adaptive mechanisms promoting increases in aerobic and anaerobic capacity.

This chapter situates communication within larger schemas of sport group dynamics and then subsequently highlights examples of specific conceptual models of communication. It highlights examples of recommendations for fostering optimal interaction patterns. There have been several approaches to understanding the role of communication within sport teams. In some cases, intra-team communication is noted as a component of larger theoretical frameworks related to the dynamics of sport groups. Understanding the differences in preference for communication allows sport team members to make an effort toward differentiated communication strategies. Intra-team communication is an integral process that influences individual and group outcomes. Conceptual models related to group dynamics, coordination, and teamwork includes communication as a central variable contributing to team effectiveness. Furthermore, researchers have created survey-based and observational methods to capture the communication practices of sport teams.

Over the past 30 years, researchers studying group dynamics in sport have provided insight regarding the importance of considering a team’s environment, structure, and processes for its effective functioning. An emergent property resulting from activities within the group is cohesion. Cohesion is a dynamic property reflecting members’ perceptions of the unity and personal attractions to task and social objectives of the group. Generally speaking, cohesion remains a highly valued group property, and a strong body of evidence exists to support positive links to important individual and group outcomes such as adherence and team performance. Given the importance attached to cohesion and other group variables for sport teams, coaches and athletes often attempt to engage in activities that facilitate group functioning. Team building is a specific approach designed to facilitate team effectiveness and individual members’ perceptions of their group. Cohesion has been the primary target of team-building interventions in sport, although recent work on team-building outcomes suggested that the effects of these interventions on cohesion may be limited. The most effective team-building approaches include a goal setting protocol, last at least two weeks in duration, and target a variety of outcomes in addition to cohesion, including individual cognitions and team performance. There is a clear need to identify a team’s requirements prior to intervening (i.e., a targeted approach), consider a variety of approaches to team building, and investigate the effects of team building via more stringent research methods.

The intensity and interpretation of precompetitive anxiety symptoms are associated with athletes’ performance and adherence. Whereas the optimal symptom intensity is task- and individual-dependent, a facilitative symptom interpretation is generally adaptive. Past research has identified several variables thought to influence symptom intensity and interpretation. This study set out to compare a selection of prominent predictors and discuss them in terms of anxiety regulation. Prior to an in-season game, female and male intercollegiate team sport athletes reported their precompetitive anxiety symptom intensity and interpretation (Directional Modification of the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2) as well as their perceptions of team cohesion (Group Environment Questionnaire). Beforehand, they indicated their competitive trait anxiety (Sport Anxiety Scale-2), competitive experience, and starting status. Further, gender, team ranking, opponent ranking, and game location were recorded. Logistic regression a...

A descriptive phenomenological approach guided our examination of athletes’ perceptions regarding group member interactions following an injury event. Semistructured interviews were conducted with male members (N = 10) of Canadian Interuniversity Sport basketball teams. Athletes described experiences in which a single injury elicited strategic shifts in team tactics and personnel, which led to role adjustments, changes in emotional climate, interpersonal tensions, and differing perceptions regarding emergent opportunities within the group. The events perceived to unfold within the group following an injury reveals the necessity to expand existing psychosocial models of sport injury.

Across two studies, we tested the proposition that interdependence structures (i.e., task interaction among teammates during competition, competition against teammates, presence of a collective outcome) influence interdependence perceptions among teammates as well as perceptions of group cohesion, competitiveness, and satisfaction. Study 1 was a paper-and-pencil survey completed by 210 individual sport athletes from 12 univ ersity- and college-level teams. Multiple mediation analyses demonstrated that participants who had to work alongside teammates during competition reported increased interdependence perceptions that were, in turn, associated with increased cohesion and satisfaction as well as decreased competitiveness. There were no differences according to whether participants competed in the same event as all of their teammates or not. Study 2 involved a weekly e-mail survey with 17 university-level individual sport athletes who reported interdependence perceptions on a continual basis over the course of their competitive season. Interdependence perceptions were higher during weeks that were close in time to competitions with a collective group outcome. These studies reveal how interdependence structures shape the group environment and support applied efforts that consider ways to structure teammate interdependencies in ways to optimize group functioning and promote member satisfaction.