To help understand how these diversity sources interact with the additive and reductive features of communication technology to impact group creativity, we designed two studies involving computer mediation, nominal group technique, and face-to-face (control) communication.
There were two treatment lists (face-to-face treatment and teletreatment) and two control lists (face-to-face control list and teletreatment control list) per participant.
This study is a quantitative field experiment with non-randomized-control group-design with a pre-test and a post-test: an online social network group as experimental group and a traditional face to face group as control group.
As the enormous computer monitor showed the progress of the shuttle across the Pacific Ocean, California and Nevada, the cameras moved from face to face throughout the flight control center, focusing most often on the face of Mr. Cain, 39, who has been the flight controller on a dozen previous shuttle missions.
The recently reported "ProActive" randomised controlled trial in primary care involved adults with a family history of diabetes who were randomised to a one year behaviour change programme (delivered by telephone or face to face) or to a control group (given an advice leaflet on physical activity).
We interviewed the parents of cases and controls face to face.
While the vast majority of cases and COPD controls were interviewed face to face during scheduled hospital attendances, most of the OA controls were interviewed by telephone.
All cases and controls were face to face interviewed using the questionnaires.
By a detailed comparison of a control group using face to face education and an experimental group using the social network Facebook, this study found significant differences between the two groups in terms of learning, engagement and motivation.
There was also some concern expressed about whether using the system would affect the quality of the clinical encounter, perhaps reducing the ability to detect subtle clues or to interact meaningfully with the patient and family: "There may be issues related to preserving privacy and dignity that are less well able to be controlled than in face to face consultation" (5).
Cases and controls were interviewed face to face on ethnic group, education, occupation, places of residence, weight history, personal and familial history of thyroid disease and cancer, gynaecologic and reproductive history, medical X-ray exposure and diet at the time of the interview and during childhood.
