An Experimental Study of Simulated Web-Based Threats and Their Impact on Knowledge Communication Effectiveness

Four Guiding Principles for Research on Evolved Information Processing Traits and Technology- Mediated Task Performance

“…This is arguably an evolved information processing trait that allowed our human ancestors to avoid surprise situations of an unpleasant nature in the EEA, because those surprise situations usually involved survival threats -i.e., they were events that impaired fitness (Kock, Chatelain-Jardón, & Carmona, 2008). Examples of unpleasant surprise situations in the EEA are close encounters with dangerous animals and near falls from cliffs.…”

“…Another is a new set of analyses, where effects are explored for each individual module (explained later), as well as various possible moderating effects. Kock et al (2008) restricted their study to only one country, did not investigate individual module effects, and did not explore moderating effects.…”

“…These differences were also the most statistically significant. It should be noted that, due to different urban development patterns, in the USA sample snake encounters were likely quite rare, whereas in Mexico they were likely more common (Hung, 2004;Kock et al, 2008).…”

Cultural Signifiers of Web Site Images

“…In recent years, evolutionary psychology as a meta-theory has received considerable attention in diverse domains, including sociology, neuroscience, economics, and consumer behavior (see, for example, [49,120,137]). Kock has introduced evolutionary psychology to the IS research by applying it in e-communication and Web design as well as proposing an integrative framework for theorizing in IS research [74,75,76,77].…”

The evolution of costly traits through selection and the importance of oral speech in e-collaboration

“…These events often occurred in specific contexts. For example, territorial animals would attack when their habitat was invaded by our ancestors, and venomous insects and snakes occur in higher quantities in certain areas (Hung 2004;Kock et al 2008;Manipady et al 2006). Without the ability to vicariously obtain knowledge linking contexts with survival threats, our ancestors would have to experience the survival threats, or observe someone experiencing them at a close distance, in order to build that knowledge.…”