STUDIES OF TURN-TAKING IN COMPUTER-MEDIATED COMMUNICATIONS

Groupware is designed to provide opportunities for physically disperse d computer users to co-operate in a manner akin to a face-to-face meet ing. Little is understood, however, of the factors that might influenc e its success. One possible factor is 'floor control', or turn-taking, which is an important feature of face-to-face meetings. The paper des cribes experiments designed to examine the importance of turn-taking i n computer-mediated communications, in comparison with face-to-face co nversations, and considers means whereby turn-taking behaviour, and he nce the effectiveness of groupware, can be improved.