Rj. Vallerand et al., ON THE EFFECTS OF THE SOCIAL-CONTEXT ON BEHAVIORAL INTENTIONS OF SPORTSMANSHIP, International journal of sport psychology, 28(2), 1997, pp. 126-140
Much research indicates that a major source of influence on the displa
y of moral behavior is the social context within which behavior is to
be emitted. The purpose of this study was to test the generality of th
is finding with respect to one specific type of sportsmanship behavior
, namely concern for the opponent. Two elements of the social context
were assessed, namely the subjective expected utilities (or anticipate
d consequences) associated with performing the sportsmanship behavior
and whether athletes were engaged in individual or team sports. Male a
nd female athletes (N-528) from team and individual sports were asked
to indicate the extent to which they would display behavior in line wi
th a concern for the opponent in two situations. In the first situatio
n utilities for displaying concern for the opponent were low (displayi
ng concern for the opponent would entail losing the match). In the sec
ond situation utilities for displaying concern for the opponent were m
oderate (displaying concern for the opponent prevented a win but did n
ot assure a loss). Results revealed the presence of utilities and type
s of sports main effects. These main effects were superseded by a util
ities X types of sport interaction. This interaction revealed that tea
m-sport athletes showed low levels of concern for the opponent irrespe
ctive of the situation. On the other hand, individual-spout athletes (
although showing move concern for the opponent than team-spout athlete
s in both utilities situations) showed significantly more concern for
the opponent in the moderate than in the low utilities situation. The
present findings underscore the fundamental importance of the social c
ontext in sportsmanship behavior.