Frame-based argumentation for group decision task generation and identification

One of the most important stages of group decision-making is the generation and identification of decision tasks. In this paper, we define a decision task with five elements: decision makers, decision executors, decision objectives, decision problems and decision constrains. Based on this distinction, we present a conceptual model for generation and identification of group decision tasks in an organization. In addition, we describe a prototype of a group argumentation support system (GASS) that applies frame-based information structure in electronic brainstorming (EBS) and argumentation to support group decision task generation and identification. Using four group performance indicators, the prototype was evaluated in a lab experiment to determine its effectiveness and efficiency.     

Face-to-face versus computer-mediated communication in a primary school setting

Computer-mediated communication is increasingly being used to support cooperative problem solving and decision making in schools. Despite the large body of literature on cooperative or collaborative learning, few studies have explicitly compared peer learning in face-to-face (FTF) versus computer-mediated communication (CMC) situations. In the present study, the effects of the use of cooperative FTF groups versus and CMC groups on the interactive behavior and task performance of 42 dyads of sixth grade Dutch primary school students working collaboratively on a mathematics task were examined. The results show the FTF dyads to provide significantly more high-level elaborations than the CMC dyads when solving the mathematics problems. In contrast, the CMC dyads provided about three times as many regulative utterances and about twice as many affective utterances as the FTF dyads. The FTF dyads attained higher performance scores than the CMC dyads, and they were also relatively more satisfied with their cooperation.     

Equality of participation and influence in groups: The effects of communication medium and sex composition

We tested the claim that computer-mediated communication (CMC) is more egalitarian than face-to-face (FTF) communication by studying patterns of reported participation and influence in 30 FTF and 30 synchronous CMC groups over seven weeks. Twenty-two of these groups were composed of a majority of males or females; these were used to test effects of communication medium and sex composition on relative levels of participation and influence among group members. Competing predictions were derived from three theories: proportional theory, social role theory, and expectation states theory. Results indicated that CMC participation was perceived as more centralized than was FTF participation in groups' first meetings, but as similar for the remaining six meetings. Results revealed no or weak support for any of the competing theories of sex composition. Influence was perceived as most centralized in CMC majority-male groups and in FTF majority-female groups. In CMC groups, males in majority-female groups were perceived as having more influence than their female group members, whereas males in majority-male groups were perceived as having less influence than their female group members. In FTF groups, the ratio of male-to-female influence in majority-male and majority-female groups did not differ significantly. Implications of these findings and the need for additional longitudinal research are discussed.     

Improving productivity and creativity in online groups through social comparison process: New evidence for asynchronous electronic brainstorming

This article extends the findings in synchronous room-based electronic brainstorming about the impact of social comparison process on productivity and creativity in a web-based context of asynchronous electronic brainstorming. Social comparison was manipulated with a feedback informing group members of their respective contributions on the electronic brainstorming task through a shared table regularly updated by a facilitator. In another group, although participants had the possibility to identify each contribution within the newsgroup, they did not receive any feedback in a shared table. Results showed that both group productivity and group creativity are better in the social comparison feedback condition than in the other condition. It appears that social comparison process has a positive impact on productivity and creativity in a web-based context of asynchronous electronic brainstorming, but only when participants have access to a shared table facilitating the comparison among group members. This finding provides some useful recommendations for learning facilitators to improve productivity and creativity in the context of computer-supported collaborative learning over the Internet. It also invites to future innovative technological developments to improve participation in online groups.     

Electronic Brainstorming: Asking the Right Question

Substantial advantages are being claimed for electronic brainstorming over traditional procedures. In practice the more important question is‘how might brainstorming be used within the electronic decision-support systems of today's organizations?’The answer is highly contingent on the nature of the organization, its core tasks, and personnel. In practice a hybrid of electronic and traditional brainstorming methods may prove more effective than either system used exclusively.     

The development of group identity in computer and face-to-face groups with membership change

A three-part conception of group identity is proposed that draws on common fate, cohesiveness, and cognitive views of group identity. The changing contribution of these three components to group identity was examined for 31 original and 29 reconfigured groups which met for 7 consecutive weeks using either face-to-face (FIF) or computer-mediated communication (CMC). Group identity was consistently lower for computer-mediated groups, and this effect was stronger in the reconfigured groups. In the original groups, group identity started high and declined for both FTF and CMC groups. In the reconfigured groups, developmental patterns differed from those of the original groups, and also differed by communication medium. Individual differences accounted for a substantial amount of variance in group identity across original and reconfigured groups.     

Cognitive style may mitigate the impact of communication mode

With the proliferation of Internet-based applications for collaborative work such as group decision support system (GDSS), traditional face-to-face (FTF) interactions are being augmented or replaced by screen-to-face (STF) technology. Extant research results find that some individuals prefer FTF mode for interaction and would feel frustrated under an STF mode, but others may feel very comfortable using electronic STF applications. This paper evaluates the influence of cognitive style on the perception of individuals negotiating over FTF or STF communication modes. Cognitive style explains how individuals prefer to receive information and what methods they use to process that information. The results suggest that when individuals are faced with a mixed-motive negotiation task, some cognitive styles mitigate the effects of communication modes while other cognitive styles are not sensitive to it. Hence, cognitive style and communication modes have interaction effects.     

Understanding coordination in computer-mediated versus face-to-face groups

Groups performed intellective and judgmental tasks in face-to-face (FTF) or computer-mediated communication (CMC) settings after coordination training or no training to determine the impact of CMC, training, and task type on group performance and coordination. Help seeking behaviors were stronger predictors of perceived and actual performance in CMC than FTF groups, but varied based on task type. In turn, training generally increased seeking behaviors, except non-task seeking behaviors in CMC groups; and seeking behaviors were stronger predictors for perceived performance in CMC than FTF groups. In addition, perceived performance was lower in CMC than FTF groups when untrained, but not when trained. Yet, performance agreement was similar on both tasks in FTF groups, but lower on the intellective than the judgmental task in CMC groups.     

Privacy-sensitive recognition of group conversational context with sociometers

Recognizing the conversational context in which group interactions unfold has applications in machines that support collaborative work and perform automatic social inference using contextual knowledge. This paper addresses the task of discriminating one conversational context from another, specifically brainstorming from decision-making interactions, using easily computable nonverbal behavioral cues. Privacy-sensitive mobile sociometers are used to record the interaction data. We hypothesize that the difference in the conversational dynamics between brainstorming and decision-making discussions is significant and measurable using speaking activity-based nonverbal cues. We characterize the communication patterns of the entire group by the aggregation (both temporal and person-wise) of their nonverbal behavior. The results on our interaction data set show that the floor-occupation patterns in a brainstorming interaction are different from a decision-making interaction, and our method can obtain a classification accuracy as high as 87.5%.     

A comparison of two electronic idea generation techniques

Much research has compared verbal with electronic brainstorming, but very few studies have investigated the effects of different electronic techniques. Most studies of electronic brainstorming have been based upon the individual poolwriting technique. However, gallery writing may be superior to it in some situations. Here, we report on an experiment involving 88 subjects in nine groups of approximately ten people each. The subjects used both electronic techniques to discuss different problems. Results show that the subjects were more satisfied with gallery writing and preferred it. Although more raw comments were generated using poolwriting, the number of quality comments and the number of unique, quality comments were not significantly different.     

A model of group satisfaction in computer-mediated communication and face-to-face meetings

This study attempts to present a model of member satisfaction with group decision process. Three variables: ease of use (EOU) of the communication medium; participation; and decision confidence (DC), were explored as determinants of member satisfaction. The study offers an explanation of the effects of these variables on group process satisfaction in two communication media: a nearly synchronous text-based computermediated communication (CMC) and traditional face-to-face communication (FTF). Results indicate that these variables were good predictors of member satisfaction. Regression and correlation analyses help to validate the model for the two communication media using the ordering of the predictor variables and the strength of the relationship. Results confirm that ease of use showed the most contribution to satisfaction and that ease of use is lower in CMC than in FTF. The findings also confirm the effect of communication medium on member satisfaction.     

A new perspective on de-individuation via computer-mediated communication

Research examining de-individuation via computer-mediated communication (CMC) suggests that group pressure is more pronounced in CMC-using groups than in groups meeting face to face, because CMC strips away non-verbal cues and makes individuals feel more similar to the others in their group. Similarly, electronic voting research suggests that group influence is more pronounced via group support systems when the opinions of others are communicated in real time. However, recent research involving complete anonymity suggests that group influence is mitigated via anonymous CMC because of a lack of awareness of others. Thus, we propose that increased group influence is facilitated when others’ opinions are communicated, and is heightened with the common identity created through the use of nominal labels. This paper reports the results of a laboratory experiment involving groups making an organization decision via a text-based chat room. The results show that a simple electronic voting interface element increased the amount of group influence on individual members, and led to decreased participation and higher dispensability.     

A reexamination of deindividuation in synchronous computer-mediated communication

Classical deindividuation theory has been posited as a useful framework for understanding certain cognitive and behavioral changes commonly seen in computer-mediated communication (CMC). Participants in CMC discussion groups were significantly more immersed in the discussion than face-to-face (FTF) discussants, and tended not to perceive their team members as individuals, providing evidence that the CMC users met the cognitive criteria for a state of deindividuation. Nevertheless, CMC participants did not produce more negative behaviors than FTF participants, demonstrating that it is insufficient to attribute negative behavior solely to a deindividuated state. These results are discussed in light of classical deindividuation theory and are contrasted with predictions from the more recent social identity/deindividuation model.     

Semantic Ideation Learning for Agent-Based E-Brainstorming

Brainstorming can assist organizations in generating creative ideas using teamwork and collaboration. However, the role of information technology in brainstorming is merely that of an assistant that passively supports the progression of brainstorming sessions rather than proactively engaging in the sessions. This paper integrates the unique association thinking of humans with an intelligent agent technique to devise an automated decision agent called the Semantic Ideation Learning Agent (SILA) that can represent a session participant who is actively participating in brainstorming. SILAs are grounded on the three association capabilities of human thinking (similarity, contiguity, and contrast). Furthermore, a Collective Brainstorming Decision System (CBDS) is built to construct an environment where SILAs can learn and share their knowledge with each other. Additionally, CBDS is integrated into an intelligent care project (iCare) for the purpose of innovated e-service recommendation. Preliminarily, evaluation results indicate that the proposed system advances e-brainstorming by crossing the three key boundaries of human ideation capability (understanding, cognition boundary, and endurance).     

Integrating nominal group technique and joint application development for improved systems requirements determination

Joint application development (JAD) is a facilitated group technique that can be used in systems requirements determination (SRD); it was designed to encourage team rapport and achieve synergy by leveraging the combined knowledge of participants. JAD has been reported to cure several problems of conventional SRD techniques and shortened development schedules. However, its freely interacting meeting structure may curtail effectiveness by encouraging adverse group-related actions that challenge even the best facilitators. In this study, we integrated JAD and nominal group technique (NGT), a popular group structure that has been used to reduce the effects of negative group dynamics on task-oriented objectives. We examined this integrated structure in a laboratory experiment to determine whether it could alleviate the problems that JAD has experienced during SRD. The results suggest that the integrated approach outperformed JAD in our test environment; it was as efficient as JAD alone and it appeared to contribute to the reduction of the need for great facilitation skills in group decision-making.     

群体大小与群体创建决策方案数量的实验研究

针对口头面对面群体大小群体创建决策方案数量的影响进行了实验研究,实验主体包括3组平均年龄为21岁的本科生和1组平均年龄为33岁的工商管理硕士生,实验将各组分成1－17人不同大小的群体,任务属于想法产生类任务,实验结果表明,在该方式下群体创建方案的数量随群体人数增大呈中间高两头低的“n”形曲线变化,人均方案数量随群体人数增大而减小。     

中文名词性谓词语义角色标注的特征研究

在语义角色标注中,相对于动词性谓词,名词性谓词与其角色之间的结构更灵活和复杂。为了更好地捕获这些结构化信息,通过对名词性谓词语义角色标注相关特征集的研究,探索了新的单词特征和句法特征,用于名词性谓词语义角色标注。基于正确句法树和正确谓词识别,中文名词性谓词语义角色标注的F1值达到了73.99,优于目前国内外的同类系统;基于自动句法树和自动谓词识别,性能F1值为57.16。最后,讨论了使用动词性谓词的特征实例来提高名词性谓词SRL的准确率,然而性能的提高并不是很明显。     

初中生机器人兴趣小组活动中团队协作精神培养探究

随着我国新课程改革的深入性开展,机器人兴趣小组活动在初中教学中的推广也已成为必不可立的内容之一。而在初中生机器人兴趣小组活动的实践过程当中,团队协作精神的培养,对整个机器人小组活动的顺利开展均起着尤为重要的作用。基于以上因素考虑,本文就通过对初中生机器人兴趣小组活动的概述,具体分析在初中生机器人兴趣小组活动中团队协作精神的培养措施,以供相关的教职人员参考所用。     

Knowledge elicitation with multiple experts: considerations and techniques

The already difficult knowledge acquisition process is complicated when the expert system being developed requires interaction with multiple experts. In this tutorial for novice knowledge engineers and managers we discuss some considerations involved in using multiple experts, including (1) deciding when multiple experts may be necessary, (2) eliciting knowledge from multiple experts individually or in small groups, and (3) knowledge engineer capabilities and preparation. Next, we present three specific group-appropriate techniques to elicit knowledge during a knowledge acquisition session: brainstorming, consensus decision making, and the nominal group technique. Finally, we consider the importance and objectives of debriefing following knowledge acquisition from multiple expertsDr K. McGraw currently heads Cognitive Technologies, a consulting firm in Alexandria, VA. She is on assignment with Falcon Microsystems at 1801 McCormick Dr., Landover, MD 20785.     

A comparison of synchronous and virtual legislative session groups faced with an idea generation task

An experiment was conducted with groups of about eight people in face-to-face and geographically-distributed electronic meeting environments. While similar studies have focused on the behavior of group members working together in a single room or working individually in different rooms (a nominal group), this research looks at a hybrid environment in which part of a group is working in one room and another part is working simultaneously in a different room that is linked via a local area network, both parts forming a virtual group. Experimental results showed that such groups generated significantly more unique, quality comments than did face-to-face groups, and that participants were significantly more satisfied with that type of meeting. These and other results indicate that groups may be able to meet effectively when distributed geographically.