Accession Number:

ADA235882

Title:

Assessing Multi-Person and Person-Machine Distributed Decision Making Using an Extended Psychological Distancing Model

Descriptive Note:

Final rept. Jul 1987-Jul 1989

Corporate Author:

MIAMI UNIV CORAL GABLES FL

Personal Author(s):

• Wellens, A. R.

Report Date:

1990-02-01

Pagination or Media Count:

34.0

Abstract:

A psychological distancing model of telecommunication effects was used in conjunction with an information processing model of decision making to predict the effect of increasing communication bandwidth connecting remotely located teams upon group cohesion, information sharing and task performance. The model was expanded to include human machine interactions and was used to predict increased psychological closeness between humans and intelligent machines as the number of communication channels connecting them increased. These ideas were explored within a series of experiments conducted within a simulated Command Control Communication intelligence environment. Results showed that increasing communication bandwidth led to increased cohesion between humans, and to a limited extent, between humans and machines. However, increasing communication richness did not always lead to increased situation awareness or task performance. There was an apparent tradeoff between maintaining communication with remote teammates and attending to local task responsibilities. System designers need to consider these tradeoffs when networking people or intelligent machines for collaborative problem solving.

Descriptors:

• *MAN MACHINE SYSTEMS
• AWARENESS
• BANDWIDTH
• CHANNELS
• COHESION
• COMMUNICATION AND RADIO SYSTEMS
• DECISION MAKING
• HUMANS
• INFORMATION EXCHANGE
• INFORMATION PROCESSING
• JOBS
• MACHINES
• MODELS
• PERFORMANCE(HUMAN)
• TELECOMMUNICATIONS
• TRADE OFF ANALYSIS

Subject Categories:

• Psychology
• Human Factors Engineering and Man Machine Systems

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE