Collective Directional Movement & Cohesion

Abstract

Studies on groups have stated that collective directional movement (CDM) influences perceived cohesion on groups compared with a static condition. This project’s aim was to further examine the effect of CDM on levels of cohesiveness. A mixed factorial design was used to investigate the effect of movement (CDM & Static) and effort levels (high or low) on levels of perceived cohesion, shared goals and common fate. 96 participants were recruited to answer the questionnaire and divided in to “CDMHigh-Effort/StaticLow-Effort” condition and “CDMLow-Effort/StaticHigh-Effort” condition. Participants read imagined scenarios about groups of people participating in tasks of varying movement and effort type. The results found no significant effect of movement on levels of cohesion, shared goals and shared goals together. However, the present study produced results showing that tasks that required more “effort” (either physical or mental) led to increased measurements on perceptions of cohesion, shared goals and common fate only in the CDM condition as opposed to the Static condition.