This is stereotypical behaviour for psychologists. The technical term is a wicked sense of humour . In a properly conducted experiment there would be another set of researchers observing Belbin for a thesis on Malicious experimentation by psychologists and so on ad infinitum or ad nauseam, whichever came sooner. The tests are now widely used in industry. Properly used they can help to create more harmonious teams at work even if this provides less amusement for passing psychologists.
Some skippers welcome psychologists' input.
John Bertrand famously used a questionnaire to understand what made the crew of Australia II tick. Chay Blyth welcomed the assistance of a psychologist in selecting the crews first of Great Britain II and later the British Steel Challenge yachts. Tracy Edwards relies instead on gut feeling, making judgements on potential crew within five minutes. The basic types A plant loves ideas and problem solving. Creative, imaginative and unorthodox they thrive on problems, the harder and stranger the better.