Gender differences in the perceived impact that athlete leaders have on team member emotional states

The effects of coaches' pride and shame expressions on field hockey players' emotions and performance

In this study, we examined the effects of female coaches' nonverbal pride and shame expressions on female field hockey players' emotions and performance and considered the role of two potential moderating factors. Across two experiments, a between (emotional expression manipulation) within (pre- and post-manipulation) subjects design was employed. A female hockey coach was scripted to deliver performance feedback randomly displaying pride or shame to skilled players (Experiment 1, n = 38; Experiment 2, n = 44) after they had performed a passing test. Players then performed the passing test for a second time. In both experiments, players reported their emotions, perceptions of the coach, and connection with the coach. In Experiment 2, players also rated their emotion regulation ability. The results showed that displayed pride elicited pride in players while displayed shame elicited shame in players. Further, coaches' pride and shame expressions had differential effects on players' performance. Displayed pride consistently improved players' performance. Displayed shame mainly worsened performance, but players' ability to regulate their own emotions seemed to buffer these negative effects. There was further evidence that players' emotions could underpin the performance effects, particularly when players knew the coach. These findings advance the literature by providing further experimental evidence for when and how coaches' pride and shame expressions influence players' emotions and performance and have important practical implications for coaches aiming to optimize performance.

Measuring emotional contagion as a multidimensional construct: the development and initial validation of the contagion of affective phenomena scales

We offer an alternative conceptualization of the construct of susceptibility to emotional contagion and four related studies where two separate measures were developed and initially validated. The Contagion of Affective Phenomena Scale-General (CAPS-G) is a 5-item scale that measures the general susceptibility to the contagion of affect, and the Contagion of Affective Phenomena Scale - Emotion (CAPS-E) assesses six distinct emotions. Study 1 generated items with experts. Study 2 explored and confirmed construct validity and the factorial structure of both measures using exploratory structural equation modeling. Study 3 established test-retest reliability, concurrent validity, and discriminant validity. Study 4 found predictive validity with a sample of competitive swimmers. In four separate samples, a 21-item and 6-factor first-order structure of CAPS-E provided the best model fit. We provide initial evidence that supports the use of CAPS-E and CAPS-G as reliable and valid measures of the susceptibility to contagion of affective phenomena.

Collective Emotions in Doubles Table Tennis

Researchers have shown that the emotions that athletes experience during sporting competition can be transferred between team members to create collective team emotional states. Nevertheless, collective emotions have not yet been investigated for sporting dyads. In this study, the emotional experiences of 68 doubles table tennis players (34 dyads) were examined at three time points: precompetition, in-competition, and postcompetition. It was found that the intensity of each emotional state differed as a function of match situation (positive/negative). Moreover, in-competition anxiety, dejection, and anger were shown to predict poorer subjective performance, and anxiety was shown to negatively impact future objective athlete performance. Most pertinently, within-dyad emotional aggregation was identified for athlete in-competition happiness and dejection and for postcompetition happiness, dejection, and anger. These findings represent the first quantitative evidence of emotional convergence in sport dyads and provide support for the social functional theory of emotion in sport.

A Qualitative Exploration of Collective Collapse in a Norwegian Qualifying Premier League Soccer Match-The Successful Team's Perspective

The current case study focused on a crucial match in the qualification for the Norwegian Premier League (Eliteserien). In the match, the participants of the study experienced a radical change in performance toward the end of the second half, from being behind by several goals to scoring 3 goals in 6 min and winning the qualifying game. The purpose of this study was therefore to examine the perceptions and reflections of players and coaches (sporting director) on what occurred within their own team and within the opposing team. The momentum shift in the opposition team can be described as a collective collapse. In the study, the theoretical collective collapse process model was used as a guide for the design of the interview questions where five semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants involved in the match (players, coach, and sporting director). The participants watched excerpt clips from the match to recall the main events, which they subsequently reflected on. The results highlighted the importance of the "before-game" aspects (i.e., pressure, first game result), the "during-the-game" behavior (i.e., goals scored, playing with a low degree of risk) and the cognitive (i.e., feelings of pressure, despair) and emotional reactions (i.e., frustration, joy) to the match unfolding. In addition, social contagion processes were evident in both teams relating to emotion and behavior. Overall, the data from this study investigated the general structure of the process model of collective sport team collapse and found support for the notion of a temporal cascade of causes for a team collapse. Future research is encouraged to examine this model, to provide guidance to teams, coaches, and sport psychologists in order to make recommendations for dealing with collective collapse in sport teams.

Assessing post-game emotions in soccer teams: The role of distinct emotional dynamics

This study examined the relationships between team (n = 10) and player post-game emotions following two consecutive games. In addition, the relationship between emotional contagion susceptibility and player post-game emotions was assessed. Applying an experience sampling methodology, male amateur and semi-professional soccer players (N = 114, M_age = 25.46 years, SD = 9.24) completed a sport emotion questionnaire shortly after the conclusion of two competitive games. Participants also completed a dispositional emotional contagion questionnaire prior to post-game data collection. Multilevel regressions revealed that teams' collective post-game emotions were strongly associated with players' post-game emotions, after accounting for within- (e.g. time, game outcome) and between-person (e.g. formal leaders, emotional contagion susceptibility) differences. In addition, partial support was found to indicate that emotional contagion susceptibility was associated with players' post-game emotions. In this context of soccer, the findings suggest that collective emotions following a game are more indicative of individual players' emotions than an individual's general tendency to mimic the emotions of others. From an applied perspective, the findings demonstrate the importance of coaches and players being mindful of the team's emotional climate after a game and the impact it may have on players, especially when that climate is negative.Highlights We assessed the relationship between soccer team (n = 10) and player (N = 114) post-game emotions.We also assessed how emotional contagion susceptibility was linked to post-game emotions.Multilevel regressions revealed that team's collective post-game emotions are more indicative of players' post-game emotions than a player's emotional contagion susceptibility.

Network Structure of Affective Communication and Shared Emotion in Teams

This paper identifies the relative effectiveness of two mechanisms of emotional contagion on shared emotion in teams: explicit mechanism (active spreading of one’s emotion) and implicit mechanism (passive mimicry of others’ emotion). Using social network analysis, this paper analyzes affective communication networks involving or excluding a focal person in the process of emotional contagion by disaggregating team emotional contagion into individual acts of sending or receiving emotion-laden responses. Through an experiment with 38 pre-existing work teams, including undergraduate or MBA project teams and teams of student club or co-op officers, we found that the explicit emotional contagion mechanism was a more stable channel for emotional contagion than the implicit emotional contagion mechanism. Active participation in affective communication, measured by outdegree centrality in affective communication networks, was positively and significantly associated with emotional contagion with other members. In contrast, a team member’s passive observation of humor, measured by ego network density, led to emotional divergence when all other members engaged in humor communication. Our study sheds light on the micro-level process of emotional contagion. The individual-level process of emotional convergence varies with the relational pattern of affective networks, and emotion contagion in teams depends on the interplay of the active expresser and the passive spectator in affective networks.