Trust and cognitive load in the text-chat environment

Abstract

This paper examines how different levels of cognitive load can affect trust in the text-chat environment. It also examines how the mouse movements of participants can indicate the level of cognitive load when they chat with each other. We designed two chat systems: one in which subjects chat under low mental load and the other in which subjects chat under high mental load. Twenty subjects participated in the study and the results showed significant differences in the level of trust between subjects under different cognitive loads; that is, subjects who chatted under low mental load showed more trust in their partners. Moreover, the mouse data obtained proved to be effective in indicating the level of cognitive load existing between the subjects. However, this work suggests that to establish trust in the chat environment, it is better to communicate under a low cognitive load. Our findings also show the ability of designed systems to measure cognitive load via tracking mouse events for the purpose of providing assistance to communicators.