The Effects of Communication Modality and Spatial Processing Load on Distributed Team Performance in a Simulated C2 Environment

Abstract

The present study addressed the effects of communication modality and spatial processing load on team performance, workload, and situational awareness. Sixteen people served as paid participants in this study. Teams of two participants competed against a computer opponent in a RoboFlag simulation based on “capture–the–flag”. Participants either could or could not see their teammates' simulated vehicles during a trial, and they could send each other images or annotated images from their RoboFlag display. Results of the experiment indicated that team performance and situational awareness were increased, and team communication and workload were decreased when participants could see teammates' vehicles, and more limitedly, that transmission of spatial information between teammates is facilitated by the ability to communicate that information pictorially. Overall, results support the supposition that distributed team performance may be mediated by spatial processing load.