The Effect of Presentation Media on Recipient Performance in Text-based Information Systems

Abstract:

The effect of presentation media on recipient performance and perceived difficulty in text-based information systems was investigated. Based on data collected in a laboratory setting, we examined differences among electronic mail, audio, and audio/video media in terms of message comprehension and perceived difficulty. Twenty-four volunteer business administration faculty and graduate students were subjects for the repeated-measures experiment. The results show that media affects message comprehension, but does not alter the recipient’s perception of the difficulty of the message. Media that require reading the message were found to be superior to audio media in terms of comprehension.

Key Words and Phrases:

• Text-based information systems
• computer-mediated communication systems
• electronic mail
• office automation

Additional information

Notes on contributors

George M. Kasper

George M. Kasper is Assistant Professor of Information Systems and Quantitative Sciences at Texas Tech University. He received the Ph.D. degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo. His papers have appeared in Decision Sciences, Decision Support Systems, Information and Management, and the Journal of Management Information Systems. His research interests include decision support systems design and development, expert system-aided decision making, and data communications network management.

Andrew H. Morris

Andrew H. Morris is a doctoral candidate in management information systems at Texas Tech University. He has recently been appointed Assistant Professor of Information and Management Sciences at The Florida State University. His primary research interest is the processing of text-based information to support the decisionmaking process in organizations.