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The Role of Perceived Voluntary Group Cohesion on Participation in Voluntary Groups

Geidner, Nicholas William
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1306774369

Abstract Details

2011, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Communication.
The social contract is one of the primary mechanisms for explaining how civil society forms and maintains itself over time (Hobbes, 1651/1996; Locke, 1689/1980; Rousseau, 1762/1997). This dissertation follows Keeley (1988) in applying Social Contract Theory to voluntary groups. Specifically, it employs perceived voluntary group cohesion (PVGC) as a means of explaining the strength of the individual’s commitment to a contract created with a voluntary group. PVGC is grounded in a Lockeian (1689/1980) view of the social contract and is an expansion of Festinger, Schachter, and Back’s (1950) conceptualization of group cohesion. PVGC is a measure of an individual’s assumptions and comprehensions about his or her cognitive, emotional, and communicative attachment to a bound collective with which he or she voluntarily interacts to achieve a goal or goals not attainable through individual action. In a previous study a 9-item PVGC scale received support of its reliability and validity (Geidner, 2010). This dissertation seeks to expand on this earlier study. Specifically, the goals of this dissertation are to replicate the model fit of the proposed higher-order factor structure of PVGC in a new sample and to further define the relationships between PVGC and some of its antecedents (e.g., size and procedural justice), correlates (e.g., perceived cohesion), and consequences (e.g., future commitment to the voluntary group, public participation associated with the voluntary group, and willingness to impose sanctions on group members who break group rules). To accomplish these goals, primary data from a national cross-sectional survey were examined. The survey (N = 1,032) probed participants’ history with and feelings toward a voluntary group to which they were members (e.g., a church group, a sports club). The 9-item PVGC measure did not display good model fit. Instead, an 8-item version of the PVGC measure showed good model fit and was employed in all analyses. The majority of hypotheses in this dissertation were confirmed demonstrating the validity of the PVGC concept. Through a number of analyses, it was also demonstrated that PVGC accounts for variance in the criterion variables in this dissertation even after controlling for the effect of a similar concept, perceived cohesion (Bollen & Hoyle, 1990). These findings demonstrate the importance of the PVGC measure and the contractual view of voluntary group membership. Specifically, communication connectedness, a lower-order factor nested within PVGC, was found to be crucial in understanding individuals’ commitment to their social contracts with groups. In the final chapter, the long-term effects of PVGC on group survival are explored. A series of computer simulations, using Agent-Based Modeling (ABM), are employed to demonstrate the possible long-term process of voluntary group membership. Finally, the application of PVGC to specific areas of communication science and PVGC’s larger implications on our understanding of human action within groups are discussed.
R. Lance Holbert, PhD (Committee Chair)
WIlliam P Eveland, PhD (Advisor)
Gerald Kosicki, PhD (Advisor)
Dongyoung Sohn, PhD (Advisor)
Communication
voluntary groups; group cohesion; social contract;

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Geidner, N. W. (2011). The Role of Perceived Voluntary Group Cohesion on Participation in Voluntary Groups [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1306774369

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Geidner, Nicholas. The Role of Perceived Voluntary Group Cohesion on Participation in Voluntary Groups. 2011. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1306774369.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Geidner, Nicholas. "The Role of Perceived Voluntary Group Cohesion on Participation in Voluntary Groups." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2011. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1306774369

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1306774369
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This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.