Self-report and facial expression indicators of team cohesion development

Abstract

Ad hoc teams are formed to complete tasks across formal and informal environments. More effective teams tend to report higher cohesion, more strongly identifying as a group. Dynamic theories of team processes suggest that cohesion changes as teams form and perform to achieve a goal. The present research examined approaches for rapidly measuring team dynamics to investigate how cohesion developed in newly formed teams as they completed a series of video game matches. Self-report ratings of cohesion were collected via manikin-based measures designed to be rapidly completed. In addition, the emotion valence and arousal of facial expressions of teammates were estimated via video recordings. Results suggested that perceptions of cohesion rapidly changed as teams completed video game matches. The present study indicates that manikin-based self-report measures and emotion valence of facial expressions are dynamic and could be used as behavioral indicators of team cohesion development.