Analysis of Team Communications to Understand Cognitive Processes used During Team Collaboration

Abstract

Abstract : Macrocognition describes the way cognition occurs in naturalistic, or real-world, decision-making events and comprises the mental activities that must be successfully accomplished to perform a task or achieve a goal. The emphasis in macrocognition is on the cognitive functions performed during collaborative team problem solving and how teams can perform them. For this research we employed an empirical process for evaluating a model of team collaboration by analyzing and coding transcripts or chat logs that transpired during several real-world problem-solving events. Team communications that transpired when teams collaborated to solve complex problem solving tasks from two decision-making domains were analyzed and coded using the definitions of the macrocognitive processes in the model of team collaboration. Two coders coded each set of data and then reviewed their coding with one of the authors and discussed any differences in interpreting the definitions. Kappa Cohen, an interrater reliability score, indicated high levels of agreement between coders for both sets of data. Consistent with our previous research we found that problem solving by these teams comprised a series of decisions. That is, decisions were made iteratively throughout the entire problem situation as opposed to problem solving culminating in team members agreeing on one big final decision.