Quality Is more Important than Quantity: Social Presence and Workplace Ergonomics Control Predict Perceived Remote Work Performance

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused a widespread disruption to the way that we work. One of its lasting consequences will be the ubiquity of remote work. The effective use of collaboration tools is therefore a critical factor for information systems (IS) research when design the workplaces of the future. We theorize that social presence and workplace ergonomics control are important predictors of perceived performance. Moreover, we investigate how different factors (i.e., collaboration tool efficacy, mode of work, and number of meetings) influence social presence. Using survey data (N = 389), we provide evidence that workplace ergonomics control and social presence are indeed important for perceived performance. Surprisingly, we observe that only collaborative platform efficacy has a significant impact on social presence, and that neither the number of meetings nor the modality were significant factors. Based upon these results, we derive implications for theory and practice

ERP evidence of fast learning of a second language vocabulary: New labels and existing concepts

What does it take to acquire a semantic network in a second language? The present ERP study shows extremely rapid instantiation of both learned words and related concepts, via computerized games. Participants served as their own control. Electrical activity of the brain, recorded at the scalp, was examined prior to exposure with the second language and 8 days later, following a 6 day training session (preceded and followed by orientation and consolidation, respectively). Participants learned 12 words per day (nouns and verbs), for a total of 72 words over 6 consecutive days. Results show rapid changes in cortical activity, associated with learning. Prior to exposure, no modulation of the N400 component was found as a function of the correct match vs. mismatch of audio presentation of words and their associated images. Post training, a large N400 effect was found for mismatch trials compared to correctly matched audio-visual trials. More importantly, images that were semantically related to learned words (eg. for the learned word “horse” the image of a saddle was presented), produced a reduction of the N400 compared to mismatched pairs (eg. the image of a building followed by the auditory presentation of the same learned word “horse”). Our results attest to the plasticity of adult learners' brains and provide evidence for rapid onset of a semantic network in a late learned language

Quality is more important than quantity:Social presence and workplace ergonomics control predict perceived remote work performance

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused a widespread disruption to the way that we work. One of its lasting consequences will be the ubiquity of remote work. The effective use of collaboration tools is therefore a critical factor for information systems (IS) research when design the workplaces of the future. We theorize that social presence and workplace ergonomics control are important predictors of perceived performance. Moreover, we investigate how different factors (i.e., collaboration tool efficacy, mode of work, and number of meetings) influence social presence. Using survey data (N = 389), we provide evidence that workplace ergonomics control and social presence are indeed important for perceived performance. Surprisingly, we observe that only collaborative platform efficacy has a significant impact on social presence, and that neither the number of meetings nor the modality were significant factors. Based upon these results, we derive implications for theory and practice.</p

The impact of coaches providing healthy snacks at junior sport training

Abstract Objective: Sports clubs provide an opportunity to tackle childhood obesity rates through targeted interventions. Our study aimed to investigate if coaches providing healthy snacks to participants before junior netball sessions at five clubs in Melbourne, Australia, increased consumption of healthy foods and influenced coach perceptions of participants’ attention/participation levels. Methods: Coaches provided healthy snacks to participants before each netball session for one school term. Children's food consumption was observed at one session before, during and after the intervention. Parents attending the observed session completed pre‐ and post‐intervention questionnaires. Coaches rated participants’ attention/participation at the observed sessions before and during the intervention, and completed a questionnaire post‐intervention. Results: Baseline: Ice cream and cake were the most frequently consumed snacks. During intervention: Fruit, cheese and crackers and vegetables were the most frequently consumed snacks. Coaches ratings of participants’ attention/participation increased significantly (baseline: 6.4 ± 0.17, intervention: 7.5 ± 0.36; p=0.02) where the same coach undertook ratings at both time points. Conclusions: Coaches providing healthy snacks before sessions at sports clubs increased consumption of nutrient‐dense foods at the session, and may have positively affected participants’ attention/participation. Implications for public health: This study highlights how a simple intervention could improve the diet of Australian children