Distributed communication and psychosocial performance in simulated space dwelling groups.

The present report describes the development and application of a distributed interactive multi-person simulation in a computer-generated planetary environment as an experimental test bed for modeling the human performance effects of variations in the types of communication modes available, and in the types of stress and incentive conditions underlying the completion of mission goals. The results demonstrated a high degree of interchangeability between communication modes(audio, text) when one mode was not available. Additionally, the addition of time pressure stress to complete tasks resulted in a reduction in performance effectiveness, and these performance reductions were ameliorated via the introduction of positive incentives contingent upon improved performances. The results obtained confirmed that cooperative and productive psychosocial interactions can be maintained between individually isolated and dispersed members of simulated spaceflight crews communicating and problem-solving effectively over extended time intervals without the benefit of one another's physical presence.

[1]  Kenneth L. Kraemer,et al.  Computer-based systems for cooperative work and group decision making , 1988, CSUR.

[2]  Bernard Guerin,et al.  Analyzing Social Behavior: Behavior Analysis and the Social Sciences , 1994 .

[3]  J. McGrath.  Small group research, that once and future field: An interpretation of the past with an eye to the future. , 1997 .

[4]  P. Costa,et al.  Stability and change in personality assessment: the revised NEO Personality Inventory in the year 2000. , 1997, Journal of personality assessment.

[5]  Gary Baker,et al.  The Effects of Synchronous Collaborative Technologies on Decision Making: A Study of Virtual Teams , 2002, Inf. Resour. Manag. J..

[6]  I. Altman,et al.  Small Group Research: A Synthesis and Critique of the Field , 1966 .

[7]  Paul T. Costa,et al.  Personality Disorders and the Five-Factor Model of Personality , 1994 .

[8]  Gerardine DeSanctis,et al.  A foundation for the study of group decision support systems , 1987 .

[9]  James M. Utterback,et al.  The Effects of Communication on Technological Innovation , 1984 .

[10]  P. Costa,et al.  Domains and facets: hierarchical personality assessment using the revised NEO personality inventory. , 1995, Journal of personality assessment.

[11]  Deborah G. . Ancona,et al.  Demography and Design: Predictors of New Product Team Performance , 1992 .

[12]  Sara Kiesler,et al.  Social psychological aspects of computer-mediated communication , 1984 .

[13]  J V Brady,et al.  Toward applied behavior analysis of life aloft. , 1990, Behavioral science.

[14]  Steven R. Hursh,et al.  Distributed interactive communication in simulated space-dwelling groups , 2004, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[15]  J. McGrath.  Groups: Interaction and Performance , 1984 .

[16]  J. Pinto,et al.  Antecedents and consequences of project team cross-functional cooperation , 1993 .

[17]  D. Dougherty.  Interpretive Barriers to Successful Product Innovation in Large Firms , 1992 .

[18]  David R. Pratt,et al.  Humans in Large-scale, Networked Virtual Environments , 1997, Presence: Teleoperators & Virtual Environments.

[19]  Joseph S. Valacich,et al.  Virtual Team Trust: Instrument Development and Validation in an IS Educational Environment , 2003, Inf. Resour. Manag. J..

[20]  L. Derogatis,et al.  The Brief Symptom Inventory: an introductory report , 1983, Psychological Medicine.