Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: This paper reports the second experiment in a series investigating the effects of video delay on emotions and communication outcomes. Drawing on theory about the effects of temporal coordination, we hypothesized that even a small delay in visual and auditory feedback through a video communication system could produce changes in emotion and communication outcomes, and that this effect is moderated by an individual’s level of involvement while performing the task. Our operationalization of involvement accounted for situational, enduring, rational, and affective types of involvement. We also explored the effect of one, two, and four second delays on the outcome variables. Results showed that, when discussing political topics, highly involved individuals experienced significantly less communication satisfaction and positive emotion in the delay condition, and that this effect was stronger with longer delays. Lowly involved individuals were generally less affected by the delay, although they did report increased negative emotion. Implications for this construction of involvement are discussed.