Date: Thu, 13 Apr 95 08:15:03
From: mwood@MIT.EDU (Mathilde Wood)
To: ccs-lunch@MIT.EDU
Subject: CCS Friday Lunch Seminar - April 14, 1995
A friendly reminder that you are welcome to this seminar:
Center for Coordination Science
Friday Lunch Seminar
E40-170 (First Floor Conference Room)
12:10 PM to 1:30 PM
(Bring your lunch)
Friday, April 14, 1995
Oh say, can you see?
The impact of video communication on attention, workload,
and decision-making
by
John Storck
Boston University School of Management
Abstract
Video communication technology, both in conference rooms and on desktop
computers, is increasingly being used to connect dispersed work teams.
This study examines the effects of video communication on
decision-making in small teams. In a laboratory experiment, three
person teams shared information to make resource allocation decisions
in three conditions: (1) face-to-face discussion; (2) all video, in
which each person was in a separate location and all were connected via
three-way desktop video; and (3) mixed video and face-to-face
communication, in which two people in one location were connected via
two-way video to a third person in another location.
For teams working in the all video and mixed conditions, attention to
task was lower and mental workload was higher than the face-to-face
teams. Teams working in the all video environment took longer than teams
in the other two conditions to reach a correct decision. This result is
consistent with research in face-to-face settings on the effects of
changes in focus of attention and increased mental workload on human
information processing and interaction.
This study extends prior work on mediated communication to the video
realm. The results contribute to our understanding of the impact of
technology design on team performance and will aid in developing
guidelines for more effective use of this new communication technology.
John Storck is completing his doctorate at Boston University's School
of Management. His prior experience includes several years as a Vice
President at Chase Manhattan Bank, where he was in charge of European
operations, systems, and telecommunications. In addition, he has been a
successful entrepreneur, having started and sold a $6MM per year
computer wholesaler in the Boston area.
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