Relationship Between Group Performance and Physical Synchrony of the Members in Small-Group Discussion

Abstract

This paper reports on a study of the relationship between the performance in small-group discussions and the synchrony of body sway of the group members. The study participants were asked to engage in a task that required divergent discussion and a task that required convergent discussion. Seat-cushion devices with pressure sensors, which measure the weight and location of center of gravity of each user continuously, were used to calculate the value of synchrony of body sway among the group members. The relationship between the performance of the respective tasks and the value of synchrony of body sway among the members during the discussions was then evaluated. The results showed that some subjectively evaluated items were significantly correlated either with the task performance or the value of synchrony of body sway, but a correlation between the task performance and the value of synchrony during the task was not found. A more detailed analysis is needed of the direction of shifting the center of gravity of the body and the process of discussion.