Alex J. Benson

Dominance and prestige are two key strategies through which people attain rank and influence within groups. Across three studies, we focus on how the deployment of these strategies shapes follower experiences-an important yet less well-understood question-by addressing how dominant and prestigious leaders satisfy the basic psychological needs of followers as outlined by self-determination theory. Using both observational (N₁ = 250) and experimental designs (N₂ = 277; N₃ = 299), we find that dominant leaders undermine followers' need satisfaction (i.e., their need for competence, relatedness, and autonomy), while prestigious leaders enhance it. Moreover, mediation analyses show that these differential patterns of need fulfillment in turn contribute to followers reporting higher leader-directed turnover intentions with dominant leaders but lower turnover intentions with prestigious leaders. Interestingly, when dominance was directed toward outgroup members-rather than ingroup members-followers report greater need satisfaction and lower desire to quit the leader. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Teams thrive when individuals converge around a shared goal. However, task contributions are not always evenly distributed among team members. Using the multilevel group process framework and consensus emergence modeling, we found that contribution patterns varied over time and across teams, suggesting team-specific rather than normative trajectories. Team potency beliefs positively predicted the initial team-level mean of task contributions, and this pattern was stable across time. Further, team potency beliefs positively predicted increasing similarity in contributions within teams across time. These findings highlight team potency as an internal driver of both higher-quality and more equal contributions within teams.

Coaches help shape sport environments and athlete experiences. However, many coach development programs do not adequately teach the knowledge and skills necessary for holistic athlete development. Accordingly, a positive youth development program, the 1616 Program (1616), was created to foster developmentally rich opportunities for youth ice hockey players. To overcome many current coach development program shortcomings, 1616 includes a coach-specific segment grounded in coaching effectiveness, leadership, and behavior change literature. We explored the coach segment’s impact using a mixed-method convergent parallel design with coaches across North America. In total, 36 coaches ( n = 3 females; M _age = 43.8 years; SD = 5.33 years) with an average of 10.1 years ( SD = 8.04) of coaching experience completed questionnaires. We interviewed nine coaches ( n = 1 female; M _age = 43.0 years; SD = 8.04 years) with an average of 8.5 years ( SD = 3.73) of coaching experience. Results suggest that coaches felt that athlete personal assets improved while describing improvements in their own behavior change markers, efficacy beliefs, and interpersonal and leadership skills. Despite noting areas for improvement, coaches who completed the 1616 Program generally improved their self-perception, experienced more positive athlete interactions, and appreciated the high-quality program design and delivery.

Scholars studying cultural diversity in groups have largely overemphasized implications for objective outcomes, overlooking relevant processes that influence those outcomes (i.e., teamwork) and team member competencies related to cultural diversity (i.e., intercultural competence). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to longitudinally investigate the relationship between two indicators of cultural diversity (i.e., national variety and language disparity), team members' intercultural competence, and perceptions of teamwork. A total of 501 professional women football players ( M _age = 22.54 years, ± 4.46) from 21 teams across the top leagues in France (D1 = 177; D2 = 324) completed questionnaires pertaining to intercultural competence and teamwork, with 342 responding at all three time‐points. Measures of national cultural variety and language disparity were computed using the Blau index and Matiti index, respectively. Using multilevel latent growth curve modeling, results showed that intercultural competence tended to be positively associated with perceptions of teamwork and that these relationships became stronger in teams that were more diverse. The results also indicated that this positive effect varied as a function of the type of cultural diversity being considered and that the relationship patterns were stable across time. For example, intercultural competence only positively predicted teamwork execution in teams with high levels of national–cultural variety. Such nuanced findings are discussed in detail herein, with implications to the literature and future research directions being put forward. Further, major strengths pertaining to the elite nature and size of the sample and the focus on women's sport are emphasized.

We applied a person-centered approach to identify social-motor skill profiles of children, as per proxy report, and how profiles differ in social, recreational, and leisure activity participation. Parents/guardians ( N = 515) reported on their 5- to 15-year-olds’ social-motor skills and characteristics of participation (i.e., frequency, assistance required, child pleasure, and parental satisfaction). Using latent profile analysis, we identified a 6-profile solution as optimal for representing the distinct configurations of social skills and motor skills within children. Weak (Profile 1) and strong (Profile 6) combinations of social and motor competencies were identified, alongside four subpopulations with varying combinations of social and motor competencies (i.e., Profile 2: below-average social and weak motor; Profile 3: below-average social but above-average motor; Profile 4: above-average social and average motor; Profile 5: above-average social and strong motor). Subsequent analyses focused on identifying how profiles differ on participation measures. Differences in subpopulations offer insights into the confluence of social and motor competencies in relation to participation. The results reinforce the notion that social skills are a key driver of children’s experiences, while recognizing that motor skills must be considered.

The tendency to experience positive and negative emotions can influence the relationships people form within small groups. The current study examined how affective reactivity predicts one’s sociometric centrality in small groups. We collected surveys from 267 members of 16 student clubs, including peer nominations of other club members regarding affiliation and status. Positive affective reactivity predicted centrality for affiliation (but not status) networks. In contrast, negative affective reactivity predicted centrality for status (but not affiliation) networks. The present findings demonstrate the importance of considering individuals’ affect to explain how people come to position themselves within small groups.

We used a person-centered approach to: (1) elucidate distinct configurations of social and motor skills across subgroups of children, (2) determine how profiles map to autistic traits and behavioral tendencies, and (3) identify how children with and without different diagnoses are categorized within profiles. Parents/guardians (N = 538) of 5- to 15-year-olds reported on their children's autistic traits, social skills, motor skills, and behavioral tendencies. Factor scores were extracted as indicators for latent profile analysis and a series of profile solutions were generated. After selecting the final profile solution, mean-level differences were examined across each profile, pairing for key measures of interest. Frequency distribution analysis was used to identify the number of children with and without formal diagnoses in each profile. A 6-profile solution was identified, drawing attention to how social and motor competencies combine in qualitatively distinct ways across subpopulations. Whereas several profiles had similar levels of social and motor skills (Profile 2: weak social/motor, Profile 4: average social/motor, Profile 6: exceptional social/motor), other profiles showed divergent levels of social and motor competencies (Profile 1: weak motor but average social, Profile 3: above average social and strong motor, Profile 5: strong social and above average motor). These subpopulations differed in terms of their proportions of diagnoses (i.e., of autism specifically and co-occurring with other diagnoses), autistic traits, and behavioral difficulties. Findings support a person-centered approach that considers the relationships, interactions, and shared mechanisms of multiple developmental domains to better understand child development, optimize interventions, and improve outcomes.