Reciprocity of the relationship between role ambiguity and group cohesion in youth interdependent sport Grégoire Bosselut a , Colin D. McLaren a , Mark A. Eys b, * , Jean-Philippe Heuzé c a Laurentian University, Canada b Department of Kinesiology/Physical Education, Wilfrid Laurier University, 75 University Avenue W., Waterloo, ON N2L 3C5, Canada c Université Joseph Fourier, France article info Article history: Received 28 February 2011 Received in revised form 5 September 2011 Accepted 12 September 2011 Available online xxx Keywords: Group dynamics Longitudinal design Teams abstract Objectives: Based on the role episode model (Kahn, Wolfe, Quinn, Snoek, & Rosenthal, 1964), the purpose of this study was to examine the reciprocal relationship between role ambiguity (Beauchamp, Bray, Eys, & Carron, 2002) and group cohesion (Eys, Loughead, Bray, & Carron, 2009) in youth interdependent sport teams. Design: Longitudinal research with self-reported questionnaires. Methods: Participants (N ¼ 162; 12e18 years of age; M ¼ 15.00 years) took part in two testing sessions (midseason vs. late-season) designed to gather information on individual perceptions of role ambiguity and group cohesion. Results: After statistically controlling for status, gender, and team membership, results demonstrated that perceptions of social cohesion at midseason positively predicted variations in perceptions of scope of responsibilities and role behaviors in defense between mid- and end of season. Conclusions: The need to belong (fundamental human motivation) and the unbalanced gender compo- sition of the sample could explain the salience of social cohesion in the cohesion-role ambiguity rela- tionship within youth interdependent sport teams. Results underlined that a part of role construction within youth teams is based on the peer social relationships developed between teammates. Implications are identified for youth practice. Limitations and future directions are addressed. Ó 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. The literature on team dynamics regularly underlines the importance of role ambiguity and group cohesion in sports that require interaction and interdependence to achieve task success (e.g., Carron, Eys, & Burke, 2007; Eys, Beauchamp, & Bray, 2006). Role ambiguity is defined as a lack of clear, consistent information about the expectations associated with one’s position (Kahn, Wolfe, Quinn, Snoek, & Rosenthal, 1964). Related to this definition, Kahn et al. (1964) developed a theoretical model representing the processes of developing and communicating expectations and behaviors that could influence the degree of role understanding. Specifically, the role episode model (see Fig. 1) underlines the relationship between the two main actors in the role episode: (1) the role sender and (2) the focal person. Within the role episode model, there are four main events that constitute the overall process. The model begins with the role sender (e.g., a supervisor) who possesses internal expectations of exactly how a role should be carried out regardless of the individual occupying it (event 1). The need to inform the focal person (e.g., an employee) of these expectations due to various internal and external reasons results in pressure to communicate (event 2). From this communication (arrow 1, Fig. 1), the focal person perceives the information (event 3). It is at this point where role ambiguity can occur (Kahn et al., 1964). The focal person then responds in a manner that reflects his/her understanding of the expectations for the role (event 4), followed by the role sender evaluating the behaviors with regard to the initial expectations (arrow 2, Fig. 1). If a discrepancy exists, the cyclical nature of the role episode model causes a continuation of the process until an agreement is reached between the expectation and the response. The heart of the role episode model is affected by the interaction of three external factors; organizational, personality, and inter- personal. Organizational factors are a set of variables that exert influence on role sender expectations (arrow 3) by either charac- terizing the organization (e.g., size, products it produces, number of ranks, financial base), or a person’s relationship to the organization (e.g., rank, responsibility, number of similar positions). The * Corresponding author. Tel.: þ1 (519) 884 0710x4157; fax: þ1 (519) 747 4594. E-mail address: meys@wlu.ca (M.A. Eys). Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Psychology of Sport and Exercise journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/psychsport 1469-0292/$ e see front matter Ó 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.psychsport.2011.09.002 Psychology of Sport and Exercise xxx (2011) 1e8 Please cite this article in press as: Bosselut, G., et al., Reciprocity of the relationship between role ambiguity and group cohesion in youth interdependent sport, Psychology of Sport and Exercise (2011), doi:10.1016/j.psychsport.2011.09.002