The Assessment of Interpersonal Attraction and Group Identification in Virtual Group Network

This study investigates the measurement of social identification, interpersonal attraction, and cohesiveness in virtual groups. Different theoretical claims about relationships in computer-mediated groups rely on measurement strategies that are shown to reflect dramatically inconsistent semantic and administration features. A review of conceptual approaches and definitions for these constructs is presented. Data were collected from groups working asynchronously via the Internet under different geographic distributions, whose members completed a variety of measures related to these constructs. Analyses generated three likely dimensions of attraction. The research highlights the need for greater specificity in reports of the actual measures used in group research, and additional conceptual concerns regarding the contested relationships among these constructs.