Effects of cooperation and competition on the cohesiveness of small face-to-face groups

This hypothesis was tested: "The cohesiveness of a small face-to-face group will increase under cooperative conditions and decrease under competitive conditions." Subjects were fourth grade children. Significant findings included: (1) Groups working under cooperative conditions increased in cohesiveness. (2) Groups working under competitive conditions did not necessarily decrease in cohesiveness. Whether decrease occurred or not depended upon factors not specifically controlled in the experiment. These results imply that (1) cooperative classroom groups can be used to improve interpersonal relationships, and (2) competition does not necessarily have undesirable effects on interpersonal relationships.