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Nonverbal leadership emergence in walking groups.

ABSTRACT: The mechanisms underlying the emergence of leadership in multi-agent systems are under investigation in many areas of research where group coordination is involved. Nonverbal leadership has been mostly investigated in the case of animal groups, and only a few works address the problem in human ensembles, e.g. pedestrian walking, group dance. In this paper we study the emergence of leadership in the specific scenario of a small walking group. Our aim is to propose a rigorous mathematical methodology capable of unveiling the mechanisms of leadership emergence in a human group when leader or follower roles are not designated a priori. Two groups of participants were asked to walk together and turn or change speed at self-selected times. Data were analysed using time-dependent cross correlation to infer leader-follower interactions between each pair of group members. The results indicate that leadership emergence is due both to contextual factors, such as an individual's position in the group, and to personal factors, such as an individual's characteristic locomotor behaviour. Our approach can easily be extended to larger groups and other scenarios such as team sports and emergency evacuations.

SUBMITTER: Lombardi M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7609592 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Nonverbal leadership emergence in walking groups.

Lombardi Maria M Warren William H WH di Bernardo Mario M

Scientific reports 20201103 1

The mechanisms underlying the emergence of leadership in multi-agent systems are under investigation in many areas of research where group coordination is involved. Nonverbal leadership has been mostly investigated in the case of animal groups, and only a few works address the problem in human ensembles, e.g. pedestrian walking, group dance. In this paper we study the emergence of leadership in the specific scenario of a small walking group. Our aim is to propose a rigorous mathematical methodol ...[more]

PMID: 33144594

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Project description:BackgroundWith a rapidly ageing society, healthy ageing has become a key challenge. Engagement in physical activity, and particularly walking, is a key strategy that contributes to healthy ageing amongst older adults. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of a group walking program for older adults that incorporates the 5R Shared Leadership Program (5RS). By implementing a structure of shared leadership and strengthening peer leaders' identity leadership, 5RS aims to cultivate a shared social identity amongst participants, which has in other contexts been associated with greater performance and well-being.MethodsA cluster randomised controlled trial was conducted to test the efficacy of the 5RS group walking program on group identification, group cohesion, walking activity, and well-being, compared to a regular group walking program for older adults. Nineteen older adult walking groups (i.e., the clusters; N = 503; Mage = 69.23 years, SD = 6.68) all participated in a 12-week structured group walking program. Nine walking groups (n = 304) were randomly assigned to the intervention in which participants received the 5RS program in addition to regular group walking.Results5RS was successful in strengthening the identity leadership qualities of the appointed peer leaders. Multilevel regressions showed that 5RS succeeded in increasing group cohesion and walking activity to a greater extent than a regular group walking program, while participants' group identification and well-being increased to a similar extent in both conditions. Furthermore, structural equation modelling revealed that group identification mediated the impact of peer leaders' identity leadership on group cohesion and well-being (but not walking activity).ConclusionBy harnessing the capacity of the group and its peer leaders, the 5RS program offers a promising intervention to engage older adults in physical activity.Trial registrationThe study was retrospectively registered as clinical trial on 9 September 2021 ( NCT05038423 ).

Dataset Information

Nonverbal leadership emergence in walking groups.

Publications

Nonverbal leadership emergence in walking groups.

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