An Investigation into the Emotional Relationships Involved in Performance Dyads
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Portsmouth
Department Name: Psychology
Abstract
Performance dyads exist across a range of domains; including healthcare, emergency services, sport and the military. Within these performance domains, positive relationships are integral for success (Price & Weiss, 2010) and ineffective interactions can have serious consequences (Milliken, Morrison & Hewlin, 2003). Emotional considerations play a major role in the quality of these relationships, however, very little research has been dedicated to investigating the effect of emotions upon complex performance dyadic relationships.
The importance of good emotional dynamics within performing groups has been widely presented (Lazarus, 2000), and emotional contagion, the transfer of mood and affect between individuals (Hatfield, Cacioppo & Rapson, 1994), is currently the most prominent theory used to explain the emotional transfer within these performing groups (Barsade, 2002). Despite this, emotional contagion and its associated factors are yet to be identified and examined within performance dyads.
Throughout this research, methodologies including quantitative surveys, interviews and focus groups, and sensory system experimentation will be employed to examine factors that may affect the strength and direction of intra-performance dyad emotional transfer. The measured factors will include leadership characteristics, trait susceptibility to emotional contagion, within-dyad power relationships and dyad efficacy. Furthermore, due to the substantial crossover between emotions and sensory systems, the proposed work will also examine the influence that olfactory systems have upon the emotional contagion process, and endeavour to establish whether odour sensitivity is related to an individual's sensitivity to emotional contagion.
All investigations will have applied performance implications and help to further our understanding of emotional phenomena within social groups.
The importance of good emotional dynamics within performing groups has been widely presented (Lazarus, 2000), and emotional contagion, the transfer of mood and affect between individuals (Hatfield, Cacioppo & Rapson, 1994), is currently the most prominent theory used to explain the emotional transfer within these performing groups (Barsade, 2002). Despite this, emotional contagion and its associated factors are yet to be identified and examined within performance dyads.
Throughout this research, methodologies including quantitative surveys, interviews and focus groups, and sensory system experimentation will be employed to examine factors that may affect the strength and direction of intra-performance dyad emotional transfer. The measured factors will include leadership characteristics, trait susceptibility to emotional contagion, within-dyad power relationships and dyad efficacy. Furthermore, due to the substantial crossover between emotions and sensory systems, the proposed work will also examine the influence that olfactory systems have upon the emotional contagion process, and endeavour to establish whether odour sensitivity is related to an individual's sensitivity to emotional contagion.
All investigations will have applied performance implications and help to further our understanding of emotional phenomena within social groups.
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ES/P000673/1 | 01/10/2017 | 30/09/2027 | |||
| 2124144 | Studentship | ES/P000673/1 | 01/10/2018 | 31/12/2021 | Alexander Freemantle |
| Description | One of the main achievements of my work is the development of a new emotion questionnaire which can be used by researchers and practitioners to measure athletes' emotions whilst they are competing. I used a rigorous four stage development and validation process for this questionnaire and it resulted in a practical and effective scale. This scale is the first of its kind and therefore new research methodology can now be undertaken to investigate unique research questions. I have also found evidence for the presence of emotional contagion in small sided sports teams. This is the first time that small sided teams have been shown to experience emotional contagion and expands and extends upon previous research. This discovery will allow more research avenues to be explored as the dyadic relationship can be better understood. I expect future researchers to develop upon this work and examine whether emotional contagion is present in other small sided team relationships. I have found evidence of interpersonal emotional influence in ambulance service dyads and identified some of the factors that facilitate this process. |
| Exploitation Route | My research outcomes will provide useful evidence and new methodologies for both researchers and practitioners working within sport. Firstly, the development of the new questionnaire can be used to assess intervention effectiveness or for initial athlete assessments, as well as to answer new research questions which would have previously not been possible. In addition, coaches, athletes and sport psychologists will be able to use the evidence I have presented of emotional contagion within dyads in order to better manage and control the emotions of their teams. An understanding of the emotional contagion process will allow these individuals to promote or stifle emotional expression at times of negative emotion or positive emotion and help to identify which individuals may be more prone to the emotional contagion process. My olfaction findings will also be able to be used as an indicator for individual characteristics which can facilitate emotional contagion. This can be used by academic researchers to formulate new research questions and to measure individuals' susceptibility for emotional contagion. My work with the ambulance service can be used to better manage the emotional relationships between frontline ambulance service staff. |
| Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Other |
| Description | Association of Applied Sport Psychology Travel Award |
| Amount | $384 (USD) |
| Organisation | Association of Applied Sport Psychology |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United States |
| Start | 07/2020 |
| End | 10/2020 |
| Description | International Olfactory Summer School Funding |
| Amount | £695 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Economic and Social Research Council |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 08/2019 |
| End | 08/2019 |
| Title | The Brief In-Competition Emotion Scale |
| Description | This is a new questionnaire that I have developed which can be used to measure athletes' emotions whilst they are competing. Until now, no questionnaire was applicable to this competition time point, and/or was impractical for use. This scale can be used by researchers and applied practitioners. |
| Type Of Material | Physiological assessment or outcome measure |
| Year Produced | 2020 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | The report is currently under review for publication. Nevertheless, a further research paper completed by my research team has used the scale effectively to create a research paper that is also currently under review. The scale development paper was also present at an international conference in 2020 - The Association of Applied Sport Psychology Annual Conference. |
| Description | Collaboration with Table Tennis England |
| Organisation | Table Tennis England Limited |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | In this collaboration, I carried out my research project using athletes attributed to Table Tennis England, in return I will provide details of my findings and expertise to the staff and athletes in order to inform them of the role that emotional contagion may play in their ambition towards success. This will take the form of a training workshop and individuals from throughout the Table Tennis England organisation will be invited. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Table Tennis England provided me with access to athletes that competed in their organised tournaments. I was given access to a number of tournaments throughout the season and during these tournaments I was able to collect all of my data. I was also able to discuss the project with their Director of Sport which allowed me to specialise the research question and methods and allowed for more useful conclusions to be drawn. |
| Impact | I have written a research paper which is currently under review. |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | Local Ambulance Service Collaboration |
| Organisation | South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | I am currently undertaking a research project with South East Coast Ambulance Service in which I am exploring the emotional expression tendencies of their frontline employees and whether this may lead to emotional contagion. Following the completion of this research project, I will be presenting the findings to the SECAmb research team and any other interested parties from within the organisation. |
| Collaborator Contribution | South East Coast Ambulance Service have provided my research project with access to their employees and they have promoted the study within their communication circles. I was also able to use members of their research team to make sure that my study was suitable for use with their employees and I used their expertise to specialise my interview protocol document. |
| Impact | I have not yet completed the data collection process and therefore there have yet to be any outputs produced. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Local Ambulance Services Collaboration |
| Organisation | South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | I am currently undertaking a research project with South Central Ambulance Service in which I am exploring the emotional expression tendencies of their frontline employees and whether this may lead to emotional contagion. Following the completion of this research project, I will be presenting the findings to the SCAS research team and any other interested parties from within the organisation. |
| Collaborator Contribution | South Central Ambulance Service have provided my research project with access to their employees and they have promoted the study within their communication circles. I was also able to use members of their research team to make sure that my study was suitable for use with their employees and I used their expertise to specialise my interview protocol document. |
| Impact | I am still collecting data and therefore there have not yet been any outputs as a result of this collaboration. |
| Start Year | 2020 |