‘Weakest Links’ Show Greatest Gains in Relay Races
EAST LANSING, Mich. — The inferior members of swimming or running relay teams – those athletes who fared poorest in individual races – showed the greatest gains when performing as part of a team, and those gains were even greater during final races as opposed to preliminary races.
The new research from Michigan State University’s Deborah Feltz and Kaitlynn Osborn provides some of the first real-world support for the Köhler motivation effect, which describes how less capable individuals perform better when performing a task with others as opposed to individually. (more…)