Brainstorming With a Social Robot Facilitator: Better Than Human Facilitation Due to Reduced Evaluation Apprehension?

Brainstorming is a creative technique used to support productivity and creativity during the idea generation phase of an innovation process. In professional practice, a facilitator structures, regulates, and motivates those behaviors of participants that help maintain productivity and creativity during a brainstorm. Emerging technologies, such as social robots, are being developed to support or even automate the facilitator’s role. However, little is known about whether and how brainstorming with a social robot influences productivity. To take a first look, we conducted a between-subjects experiment (N = 54) that explored 1) whether brainstorming with a Wizard-of-Oz operated robot facilitator, compared to with a human facilitator, influences productivity; and 2) whether any effects on productivity might be explained by the robot’s negative effects on social anxiety and evaluation apprehension. The results showed no evidence for an effect of brainstorming with a teleoperated robot facilitator, compared to brainstorming directly with a human facilitator, on productivity. Although the results did suggest that overall, social anxiety caused evaluation apprehension, and evaluation apprehension negatively affected productivity, there was no effect of brainstorming with a robot facilitator on this relationship. Herewith, the present study contributes to an emerging body of work on the efficacy and mechanisms of the facilitation of creative work by social robots.

A model of language students’ sustained flow, personal best, buoyancy, evaluation apprehension, and academic achievement

This study attempts to add new empirical evidence on the psychological aspects of language learning. The research examined potential interactions among sustained flow, personal best, buoyancy, evaluation apprehension, and academic achievement in a single research design. To this end, 376 English as a foreign language (EFL) students at universities and private language institutes participated in the study. The conducted analyses revealed significant associations among the constructs. These findings are discussed from the perspective of current theory and research on the ways via which sustained flow, personal best, and buoyancy may contribute to language learning and how evaluation apprehension may dwindle language success. The implications and suggestions for future research are also discussed.

Non-Compliant Mobile Device Usage and Information Systems Security: A Bystander Theory Perspective

This study tested the context of employees using their devices for both work and personal use, and non-compliant device usage of a person potentially resulting in Information Systems (IS) security threat to personal as well as work data and/or the devices. Integrating bystander and protection motivation theory (PMT) perspectives this paper studies bystanders' responses to IS security threats and the extent to which a perceived security threat motivates individual intention to act, in the context of non-compliant mobile device usage behaviors. It tests the role of an individual's threat perceptions to protect their own IS security, and as a bystander, protecting their peers or the IS security of their organization. Data collected from 431 individuals support the hypotheses that security awareness predicts perceived severity and protection motivation. Evaluation apprehension and diffusion of responsibility inhibit bystander's intentions to act against non-compliant mobile device usage behaviors, while awareness facilitates it. Theoretical contributions and practical implications of the research are discussed.

The transformation from task conflict into relationship conflict

Task conflict influences organizational effectiveness differentially based on given contingencies. Effective conflict management is thus necessary in order to properly utilize task conflict in organizations. The present research was conducted to uncover buffer conditions, or moderators that diminish transformation effect of from task conflict into relationship conflict. Specifically, the researchers proposed (1) evaluation apprehension and (2) relational intimacy would buffer the transformation of task conflict into relationship conflict. In the first research, 269 employees participated in self-report survey. The results showed that the transformation of task conflict into relationship conflict more occurred in a evaluation apprehension situation than a non-evaluation apprehension situation and less occurred in a relational intimacy than a relational non-intimacy. The researchers then conducted an experiment on 88 undergraduate students. The results of the second research also indicated that the conflict transformation less occurred in non-evaluation apprehension condition and relational intimacy condition in consistence with study 1. Based on the results, theoretical and practical implications, research limitations and future research directions are discussed.