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Are two naïve and distributed heads better than one? Factors influencing the performance of teams in a challenging real-time task

INTRODUCTION: Collective decisions in dynamic tasks can be influenced by multiple factors, including the operational conditions, quality and quantity of communication, and individual differences. These factors may influence whether two heads perform better than one. This study examined the “two head...

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Autores principales: Blanchard, Matthew D., Kleitman, Sabina, Aidman, Eugene
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Frontiers Media S.A. 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10213526/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37251042
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1042710
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author Blanchard, Matthew D.
Kleitman, Sabina
Aidman, Eugene
author_facet Blanchard, Matthew D.
Kleitman, Sabina
Aidman, Eugene
author_sort Blanchard, Matthew D.
collection PubMed
description INTRODUCTION: Collective decisions in dynamic tasks can be influenced by multiple factors, including the operational conditions, quality and quantity of communication, and individual differences. These factors may influence whether two heads perform better than one. This study examined the “two heads are better than one” effect (2HBT1) in distributed two-person driver-navigator teams with asymmetrical roles performing a challenging simulated driving task. We also examined the influence of communication quality and quantity on team performance under different operational conditions. In addition to traditional measures of communication volume (duration and speaking turns), patterns of communication quality (optimality of timing and accuracy of instructions) were captured. METHODS: Participants completed a simulated driving task under two operational conditions (normal and fog) either as individual drivers (N = 134; 87 females, mean age = 19.80, SD = 3.35) or two-person teams (driver and navigator; N = 80; 109 females, mean age = 19.70, SD = 4.69). The normal condition was characterized by high visibility for both driver and navigator. The fog condition was characterized by reduced visibility for the driver but not for the navigator. Participants were also measured on a range of cognitive and personality constructs. RESULTS: Teams had fewer collisions than individuals during normal conditions but not during fog conditions when teams had an informational advantage over individuals. Furthermore, teams drove slower than individuals during fog conditions but not during normal conditions. Communication that was poorly timed and/or inaccurate was a positive predictor of accuracy (i.e., collisions) during the normal condition and communication that was well timed and accurate was a negative predictor of speed during the fog condition. Our novel measure of communication quality (i.e., content of communication) was a stronger predictor of accuracy, but volume of communication was a stronger predictor of time (i.e., speed). DISCUSSION: Results indicate when team performance thrives and succumbs compared with individual performance and informs theory about the 2HBT1 effect and team communication.
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spelling pubmed-102135262023-05-27 Are two naïve and distributed heads better than one? Factors influencing the performance of teams in a challenging real-time task Blanchard, Matthew D. Kleitman, Sabina Aidman, Eugene Front Psychol Psychology INTRODUCTION: Collective decisions in dynamic tasks can be influenced by multiple factors, including the operational conditions, quality and quantity of communication, and individual differences. These factors may influence whether two heads perform better than one. This study examined the “two heads are better than one” effect (2HBT1) in distributed two-person driver-navigator teams with asymmetrical roles performing a challenging simulated driving task. We also examined the influence of communication quality and quantity on team performance under different operational conditions. In addition to traditional measures of communication volume (duration and speaking turns), patterns of communication quality (optimality of timing and accuracy of instructions) were captured. METHODS: Participants completed a simulated driving task under two operational conditions (normal and fog) either as individual drivers (N = 134; 87 females, mean age = 19.80, SD = 3.35) or two-person teams (driver and navigator; N = 80; 109 females, mean age = 19.70, SD = 4.69). The normal condition was characterized by high visibility for both driver and navigator. The fog condition was characterized by reduced visibility for the driver but not for the navigator. Participants were also measured on a range of cognitive and personality constructs. RESULTS: Teams had fewer collisions than individuals during normal conditions but not during fog conditions when teams had an informational advantage over individuals. Furthermore, teams drove slower than individuals during fog conditions but not during normal conditions. Communication that was poorly timed and/or inaccurate was a positive predictor of accuracy (i.e., collisions) during the normal condition and communication that was well timed and accurate was a negative predictor of speed during the fog condition. Our novel measure of communication quality (i.e., content of communication) was a stronger predictor of accuracy, but volume of communication was a stronger predictor of time (i.e., speed). DISCUSSION: Results indicate when team performance thrives and succumbs compared with individual performance and informs theory about the 2HBT1 effect and team communication. Frontiers Media S.A. 2023-05-12 /pmc/articles/PMC10213526/ /pubmed/37251042 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1042710 Text en Copyright © 2023 Blanchard, Kleitman and Aidman. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
spellingShingle Psychology
Blanchard, Matthew D.
Kleitman, Sabina
Aidman, Eugene
Are two naïve and distributed heads better than one? Factors influencing the performance of teams in a challenging real-time task
title Are two naïve and distributed heads better than one? Factors influencing the performance of teams in a challenging real-time task
title_full Are two naïve and distributed heads better than one? Factors influencing the performance of teams in a challenging real-time task
title_fullStr Are two naïve and distributed heads better than one? Factors influencing the performance of teams in a challenging real-time task
title_full_unstemmed Are two naïve and distributed heads better than one? Factors influencing the performance of teams in a challenging real-time task
title_short Are two naïve and distributed heads better than one? Factors influencing the performance of teams in a challenging real-time task
title_sort are two naïve and distributed heads better than one? factors influencing the performance of teams in a challenging real-time task
topic Psychology
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10213526/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37251042
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1042710
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