11. SOCIAL INFLUENCES; GROUPS & OBSERVERS Flashcards
(26 cards)
Exercise Leaders:
Importance
our behavior is shaped by many people
- exercise leaders are an important form of social support
-»_space; provide expert support
-»_space; positive behaviors improved when we perceive positive support
Exercise Leaders:
Negative Outcomes to be Avoided
- overdependence on trainer
- unregulated information
- not jiving with trainer, programming, etc
Exercise Group:
Overview
- 2 or more persons, but not just a collection of people
- shared beliefs and common goals:
- > > degree (how much do they agree)
- > > uniqueness/distinctiness: differentiator for group (something that brings us TOGETHER and sets us APART from others)
Exercise Groups
Temporal Nature
more temporary than in sport
- members are continually coming into the group and leaving
- difficult to establish a unique group identity
Exercise Groups
Impacts
- can promote or undermine exercise-related thoughts, feelings, behaviors
- those who exercise with a group have better adherence than those without (enjoyment, effort)
- important aspects: group size, composition, cohesion
Influences of Group Size:
Too Small
- may be too exclusive
- don’t feel like a group
- more embarrassment, less energy
Influences of Group Size:
Too Big
- members feel less cohesion
- less satisfied with the exercise experience
- less enjoyment
Group Composition: Surface-level Similarities
- age, gender, appearance
- —external attributes, commonalities that make us feel we fit in
Group Composition: Deep-Level Similarities
- attitudes, beliefs, attitudes
» personal, internal commonalities impossible to gauge in appearance - people are often more confident in environments where they share similarities
- surface level similarities may be more important in exercise groups
Group Cohesion:
definition
cohesion: how well a group sticks together and is united in the pursuit of objectives, needs, or goals
Group Cohesion:
4 Components
- how well members like one another
- how much they interact
- how well they like the tasks
- How well they like the shared goals
Enhancing Group Cohesion
- develop feelings of distinctiveness among group members
- assign group roles and/or positions
- establish group norms
- provide opportunities to make sacrifices for the group
- provide opportunities for interaction
Social Networks:
Ego Networks
- your own immediate networks
- different networks for each of the types of resources and support you exchange with your immediate network
Social Networks:
Full Social Networks
- gives us a picture of how we are influenced by people 2 or more removed from us
- each connection is called a ‘tie’
- can be face-to-face intractions
- can be virtual interactions through text, SM (in person networks shrunk during covid while virtual networks expanded)
Social Networks & Cohesion:
Overview
- cohesion can be represented as having more and stronger ties within a group
Social Networks & Cohesion:
Group Exercise Classes
- not a long of strong ties
- typically small cllusters
- but “bridgers” exist and can be used to promote adherence
Social Networks & Cohesion:
Bridgers
people who share a gym space are bridges to many different networks
- you can see and interact with people from diverse backgrounds
- helpful for providing new knowledge
Group Task Structures
activities or tasks in one exercise bout can be manipulated to increase:
- effort
- intensity (higher weight, faster speed)
- persistence/duration (longer time, further distance)
Group Task Structures:
4 Types
- coactive
- conjunctive
- disjunctive
- additive
Group Task Structures:
Disjunctive
- one person’s score/effort counts
- typically the BEST member
- pros: top group member tries hard
- cons: can contribute to ‘social loafing’ (other group members don’t work as hard)
Group Task Structures:
Conjunctive
- effort/outcome dependent on WEAKEST member
- when one person stops, all have to stop
- pros: weaker members work harder
- cons: not beneficial for stronger members
Group Task Structures:
Additive
- all effort is combined
- total score is sed
- less social loafing than disjunctive (although members don’t try as hard in large groups)
Group Task Structures:
Coactive
- everyone is exercising INDEPENDENTLY
- not really a group task structure; co-exercisers instead of a group
- tend to effort more when nearby/with others, even if independent
Task Structures
- most of what we do in exercise is coactive (not dependent on anyone else)
- why we rely on social support and cohesion to bring people back:
— fostering some level of accountability and support with another makes us feel as if we are responsible to one another
— and can result in better adherence and effort
