Examining the Relationship Between Passion and Perceptions of Cohesion in Athletes

The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship of harmonious and obsessive passion to perceptions of task and social cohesion in team sport athletes. Participants were 370 competitive (N=252) and recreational (N=118) athletes ranging from 18- to 28-years-old (Mage=20.20, SD=1.52) from a wide variety of team sports. Participants completed the Passion Scale (Vallerand et al., 2003) and the Group Environment Questionnaire (Carron et al., 1985). A MANOVA revealed that competitive athletes were more passionate and had higher perceptions of cohesion than did recreational athletes. Multiple regression analyses revealed a positive relationship between both harmonious and obsessive passion and both task (ATG-T, GI-T) and social (ATG-S, GI-S) cohesion. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed pertaining to the importance of harmonious and obsessive passion in athletes and perceptions of cohesion in competitive and recreational sport.

Children’s Perceptions of Cohesion

The general purpose of the two studies reported here was to examine perceptions of team cohesiveness in children aged 9 to 12 years. In Study 1, focus groups were used to examine individual perceptions of cohesion from the perspective of group integration – the group as a totality. In Study 2, open-ended questionnaires were used to examine individual perceptions of cohesion from the perspective of individual attractions to the group. The results showed that children as young as nine years understand the phenomenon known as cohesion. They can discuss the group as a totality, the characteristics of cohesive and non-cohesive teams, and identify the major factors attracting them to and maintaining their involvement in the group. Also, the ability to clearly distinguish between task and social cohesion is present. The results provide insight into the world of child sport and emphasise the importance of group cohesion, affiliation, and other social constructs in children’s involvement and adherence to sport groups

The Social Environment in Children’s Sport: Cohesion, Social Acceptance, Commitment, and Enjoyment

The primary purpose of the current study was to determine whether perceptions of cohesion mediated the relationship between social acceptance and individual commitment and enjoyment in children’s sport. A secondary purpose involved the assessment of the temporal nature of cohesion over the course of an athletic season. A total of 209 (Mage = 9.87 years; SD = 1.34) recreational soccer players completed questionnaires at three time points (T1 – social acceptance, cohesion; T2 – cohesion; T3 – commitment, enjoyment, cohesion) during an athletic season. Using structural equation modeling, the results indicated that task cohesion mediated the relationship between social acceptance and commitment and enjoyment, whereas social cohesion did not. In addition, individual perceptions of cohesion did not vary significantly over the course of the season. These results will be discussed in terms of their theoretical and practical implications. As one example, the relative stability in terms of perceptions of cohesion in this population could inform future intervention work aimed at enriching the social environment

CHARACTERIZATION OF FILLING MATERIALS FOR EASEL PAINTINGS

Developing appropriate treatments for easel paintings can be complex, as many works are composed of various materials that respond in different ways. When selecting a filling material for these artworks, several properties are investigated including: the need for the infill to react to environmental conditions in a similar manner as the original material; the need for the infill to have good handling properties, adhesion to the original support, and cohesion within the filling material; the ability for the infill to withstand the stress of the surrounding material and; be as flexible as the original material to not cause further damage. Also, changes in colour or mechanical properties should not occur as part of the ageing process. Studies are needed on acrylic-based materials used as infills in conservation treatments. This research examines some of the chemical, physical, and optical changes of eleven filling materials before and after ageing, with the aim to evaluate the overall appropriateness of these materials as infills for easel paintings. The materials examined were three rabbit skin glue (RSG) gessoes, and seven commercially prepared acrylic materials, all easily acquired in North America. Chemical analysis was carried out with Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and X-ray fluorescence (XRF), pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (Py-GC/MS), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Overall the compositions of the various materials examined were found to be in agreement with the available literature and previous research. This study also examined characteristics of these materials not described in previous works and, additionally, presented the compositions and behaviour of several commonly used materials with little literature description. After application of an ageing regimen, most naturally aged and artificially aged samples displayed small changes in gloss, colour, thickness, and diffusive behaviour; however, to evaluate these materials fully mechanical testing and environmental studies should be carried out.