Impact of Hidden Profiles on Distributed Cognition in Spatially Distributed Decision-making Teams

This study continues research from McNeese (2000) and was designed to examine the effects of hidden knowledge profiles on perceptually anchored team cognition and knowledge transfer in distributed teams. Previous work showed that individuals in perceptually anchored distributed teams were able to quickly access applicable knowledge, then transfer that knowledge to answer similarly situated problems. Perceptual anchors provide the basis for formulating team mental models, which can be used to assess situations and resolve differences in individual, unique knowledge. In the present experiment, it was again hypothesized that individuals working in perceptually anchored distributed teams would be better able to transfer knowledge, than teams without anchors. It was also hypothesized that perceptually anchored distributed teams would be better able to share uniquely held information, make better decisions, identify information discrepancies, and overcome the presence of hidden knowledge profiles better than non-perceptually anchored teams. Preliminary findings are discussed.