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Dissertation Information for David Karl Meader

NAME:
- David Karl Meader

DEGREE:
- Ph.D.

DISCIPLINE:
- [No Discipline Recorded]

SCHOOL:
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (USA) (1995)

ADVISORS:
- Judith S. Olson

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
- None

MPACT Status: Incomplete - Not_Inspected

Title: Supporting distributed, design discussions: A study of video effects on engagement and critical discussion in desktop, multimedia conferencing

Abstract: Emerging communication technologies may eventually support work among people in different locations. Too little is known currently about the actual impacts these technologies have on work and communication behavior. This study investigated the impacts of one such technology, a desktop, multimedia conferencing (DMC) system. In particular, I tested the effects of video, or the ability to see and be seen, on group members' engagement, coordination style, and amount of critical discussion. I also tested the effects of group members' perceptions of how hard it was to communicate, as well as their final performance.

Thirty intact groups of graduate business students worked in separate rooms, but were connected by audio, video and networked computers. The DMC combined full motion, color video head and shoulder shots, with full duplex, unswitched audio and a shared computer based text editor. Half of the 30 groups had video + audio + text media; half had audio + text, but no video. The experimental task was to create, in 90 minutes, a document describing a design for a new product called an automatic post office.

Results showed that the high quality video in this experiment had no significant effect on the groups' engagement, coordination style or critical discussion, nor on final performance. Engagement had a small positive correlation with performance. However, Video groups rated communication to be easier than did Non-video groups. Regardless of the availability of video, groups who perceived low communication effort tended to engage themselves more in the task which then produced better performance.

Clearly, the effects of video are not simple--it does not produce higher quality work over all kinds of tasks, though it may make people perceive the work to be easier. More research on the effect of video across other kinds of groups (e.g., unfamiliar) and other kinds of tasks (e.g., negotiation) is called for before we have a complete picture.

MPACT Scores for David Karl Meader

A = 0
C = 1
A+C = 1
T = 0
G = 0
W = 0
TD = 0
TA = 0
calculated 2010-10-14 15:03:17

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