Accelerometers as a Methodological Tool in Group Processes Research
ISBN: 978-1-78769-014-1, eISBN: 978-1-78769-013-4
Publication date: 8 October 2018
Abstract
Purpose
An accelerometer is a device that measures force due to gravity or a change in speed or direction of travel. This paper describes accelerometers and their application in other disciplines and, by way of an example, explores the utility of accelerometers for studying aggression. We end with a discussion of additional ways accelerometers might be used in group processes research.
Methodology
We first review the use of accelerometers in other disciplines. We then present the results of four studies that demonstrate the use of accelerometers to measure aggression. Study 1 establishes the measure’s concurrent validity. Study 2 concerns its stability and representative reliability. Study 3 seeks to establish the measure’s predictive validity by associating it with an existing measure. Study 4 demonstrates the ability of accelerometers to address a sociological research question.
Findings
In Studies 1 and 2, we find that accelerometers can be used to differentiate between distinct levels of aggression. In Study 3, we find that men’s average peak acceleration correlates with a previously validated measure of aggression. Study 4 uses accelerometers to reproduce a well-established finding in the aggression literature.
Practical Implications
We conclude that accelerometers are a flexible tool for group processes’ researchers and social scientists more broadly. Our findings should prove useful to social scientists interested in measuring aggression or in employing accelerometers in their work.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Steve Benard, Hannah Bolte, Shelley Correll, Susan Fisk, Beth Hirsh, Jelani Ince, Deb King, Ed Lawler, Peter Lista, Viktor Przebinda, Richard Serpe, Catherine Taylor, and Lindy Williams for their guidance on this project, as well as the many research assistants who helped our experiments run smoothly.
Citation
Munsch, C.L. and Zack, E.S. (2018), "Accelerometers as a Methodological Tool in Group Processes Research", Advances in Group Processes (Advances in Group Processes, Vol. 35), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 29-50. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0882-614520180000035002
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2018 Emerald Publishing Limited