Some consequences of e-mail vs. face-to-face communication in experiment

It is found that the effects of `e-mail' vs. face-to-face communication vary with the nature of the decisions and may depend upon the complexity and content of what needs to be communicated.

Abstract

As more and more social science experiments are being run on computers, the question of whether these new laboratory instruments affect outcomes is increasingly important. We examine whether the mode of communication in experiments has any effect on the choices made by individuals. We find that the effects of `e-mail' vs. face-to-face communication vary with the nature of the decisions and may depend upon the complexity and content of what needs to be communicated.