| While many studies have investigated prosocial and aggressive behavior in youth sport, the specific contexts that correspond with sport participation have rarely been studied. To further the understanding of sport as a developmental context, the current study examined the specific setting of the youth hockey locker room and the perceptions of prosocial and aggressive behaviors within it. Specifically, to gain a deeper understanding of locker room social behaviors, the present research used hierarchical multiple regression to test the hypothesis that age, perceived adult supervision, task cohesion, and social cohesion would predict the perceptions of prosocial and aggressive locker room behavior. The results indicated that both adult supervision and task cohesion significantly predicted perceived prosocial behavior and inversely predicted perceived aggression. The presence of an adult figure in the locker room appears to predict the perception of more positive social behavior. These findings also suggest that athletes who perceive more unity in working towards a shared goal perceive greater prosocial behavior and lesser aggressive behavior. Ultimately, the findings from the current study contain highly useful practical implications for youth sport programs and coaches as they strive to create sport environments that are conducive to building character. |
