Team Cognition in Group Interventions: The Relation Between Co-Leaders' Shared Mental Models of the Group and Group Climate

Abstract

The relation between convergence in group co-leaders' schemas, or mental models, of their groups and group members' perceptions of group climate was examined. Co-leaders of eight inter-group dialogue groups provided paired comparison ratings of the similarity of group members, and group members provided group climate ratings, following each of seven sessions. Paired comparison ratings were analyzed using Pathfinder Network Analysis (Schvaneveldt, 1990) to examine the structure of each co-leader's mental model of her or his group, and to compare these mental models within co-leader pairs to determine degree of match in co-leaders' mental models for each co-leader pair, for each week (i.e., how similarly co-leaders of a group view their group). Cross correlations and growth curve analyses of the match and group climate data showed an increase in match of co-leaders' mental models across sessions, and that match in co-leader mental models was related to group climate.