Cognitive Analysis of Process Knowledge Transfer in Computer Supported Cooperative Work

Abstract

In this article, a quantitative method for evaluating the effects of groupware usage on the emergence of shared mental action models (SMAM) is introduced and demonstrated. SMAM are defined as individual cognitive representations of goals, functions, states, and forms of a common work process in which a team member is involved. They serve for description, explanation, and prediction of the current and future states of a cooperative work process. By combining multidimensional scaling with analysis of angular variance, a method for quantitative evaluation of SMAM is described, and reliable and valid measurement of the central SMAM components was tested.