Darwinian Perspectives on Electronic Communication

A Special Issue of the Journal: 

IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication

Guest Editor: NED KOCK

Guest Associated Editors: DONALD A. HANTULA, STEPHEN C. HAYNE, GAD SAAD, PETER M. TODD, AND RICHARD T. WATSON

SPECIAL ISSUE TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction to Darwinian Perspectives on Electronic Communication (PDF file)
NED KOCK, DONALD A. HANTULA, STEPHEN C. HAYNE, GAD SAAD, PETER M. TODD, AND RICHARD T. WATSON
 

Online Shopping as Foraging: The Effects of Increasing Delays on Purchasing and Patch Residence (PDF file)
DONALD A. HANTULA, DIANE DICLEMENTE BROCKMAN, AND CARTER L. SMITH
 

Online Hunting and Gathering: An Evolutionary Perspective on Sex Differences in Website Preferences and Navigation (PDF file)
ERIC STENSTROM, PHILIPPE STENSTROM, GAD SAAD, AND SOUMAYA CHEIKHROUHOU
 

“Shopping” for a Mate: Expected versus Experienced Preferences in Online Mate Choice (PDF file)
ALISON P. LENTON, BARBARA FASOLO, AND PETER M. TODD
 

An Experimental Study of Simulated Web-Based Threats and Their Impact on Knowledge Communication Effectiveness (PDF file)
NED KOCK, RUTH CHATELAIN-JARDÓN, AND JESUS CARMONA

The previous call for papers (expired) is shown below.

Recent years have seen the beginning of an exciting debate about how much of our behavior toward technology is influenced by our “nature” (or our genes), and what types of behavior are particularly affected in that way. Behaviors that are strongly influenced by our genes, and that thus are assumed to be more closely related to our biological structure than our cultural backgrounds, are often referred to as “instinctive” behaviors.

Widely agreed-upon examples of instinctive behaviors can be found in areas unrelated to technology. One such example is the compulsion that many of us feel to eat foods with high calorie content; often a lot higher than we need. This instinct is motivated by the scarcity of high-calorie foods in the ancestral environments where hominids evolved, from Australopithecus to Homo sapiens. Arguably this instinct is a mal-adaptation to life in modern urban societies, where high-calorie foods are not only abundant, but also cheap.

On one extreme of the debate of how much of our behavior is influenced by our genes are those sometimes referred to as biological determinists, who believe that nearly all of our behavior is determined by our genes; often ignoring evidence to the contrary. On the other extreme, are those who subscribe to the notion that our genetic makeup influences virtually none of our behavior, ignoring the many striking similarities in behavior across markedly different cultures, as well as the many studies that show marked behavioral parallels between identical twins raised separately.

Most serious human evolution researchers today adopt a more balanced view than the ones that characterize the extremes discussed above. There is a general belief among human evolution researchers that behavioral traits are defined in part by “nature” and in part by “nurture.” Moreover, most human evolution researchers today subscribe to the epigenetic view that most biological traits, even those believed to be largely inherited through our genes, are the result of an intricate interplay between genetic and environmental influences. This view essentially assumes that only a few biological traits are innate (e.g., blood type), with the majority of those traits being defined by both the genetic structure of the individual and environmental circumstances surrounding that individual (e.g., height, body fat percentage).

This Special Issue on Darwinian Perspectives on Electronic Communication of the journal of IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication takes the balanced view discussed above. In that spirit, it invites theoretical and empirical submissions exploring the links between evolved instincts and our behavior toward electronic communication technologies. Submissions that build on empirical studies and that also provide new theoretical insights are particularly welcome.

Electronic communication is broadly defined here as communication among individuals using electronic technologies. Examples of electronic communication technologies are voice messaging systems (including traditional telephone-based systems), e-mail, listservers, blogs, Web-based bulletin boards, community networking Web sites, instant messaging, Web-based chat tools, collaborative writing tools, group decision support systems, teleconferencing tools, and virtual reality environments.

From a geographical distribution perspective, electronic communication can be co-located (e.g., through group decision support systems) or distributed (e.g., through e-mail). From a temporal perspective, electronic communication can be synchronous (e.g., instant messaging), or asynchronous (e.g., through Web-based bulletin boards). In this sense, the asynchronous interaction between the online customers of a Web site such as Amazon.com’s, and the site designers, can also be seen as a form of electronic communication.

The list below includes possible topics to be explored from a Darwinian perspective for this Special Issue:

• Online consumer behavior on the Web.
• Electronic mating behavior, such as in Internet dating.
• Deception identification through electronic communication media.
• “Foraging” behavior by online consumers.
• Media naturalness and cognitive effort in complex group tasks.
• Trust building through electronic communication media.
• Information overload induced by Web interface design choices.
• “Flashbulb memorization” and surprise-enhanced computer-mediated learning.
• Compensatory adaptation and online learning.
• Vertical distortion and the design of electronic communication interfaces.

The topics above are not a comprehensive list of all possible topics for this Special Issue. They are provided here for illustration purposes only. Much related research has been conducted in various fields of inquiry that can serve as a basis for authors of submissions to this Special Issue. Authors are encouraged to draw on ideas from the following fields of inquiry (and related fields) while working on their submissions: sociobiology, evolutionary psychology, biological anthropology, and (to a certain extent) ethology.

Submissions to this Special Issue should address the topics above (as well as other related topics) explicitly from a Darwinian evolutionary perspective. For example, submissions addressing the topic of information overload in Web-based communication from a cognitive science perspective, but not explicitly building on a Darwinian evolutionary basis, will fall outside the scope of this Special Issue.

The articles below illustrate some of the ideas that can be explored by authors of submissions to this Special Issue. Authors are encouraged to review these articles, but should not restrain themselves to the ideas explored in the articles. In fact, this Special Issue welcomes submissions that go significantly beyond those discussed in the articles, and also submissions that go against the arguments made in the articles.

DiClemente, D. & Hantula, D.A. (2003). Time sensitivity in online shopping: Extensions of the foraging model. Psychology & Marketing, 20(9), 785-809.

Kock, N. (2005). Media richness or media naturalness? The evolution of our biological communication apparatus and its influence on our behavior toward e-communication tools. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 48(2), 117-130.

Kurzban, R., & Weeden, J. (2005). HurryDate: Mate preferences in action. Evolution and Human Behavior, 26(3), 227-244.

Schützwohl, A., & Borgstedt, K. (2005). The processing of affectively valenced stimuli: The role of surprise. Cognition and Emotion, 19(4), 583-600.

Below are tentative dates for all the main steps involved in the production and publication of the Special Issue:

All submissions must be in English, and should represent the original work of the authors. Improved versions of papers previously published in conference proceedings are welcome, provided that no copyright limitations exist. Submissions must be made electronically via e-mail to the Guest Editor (using one of the e-mail addresses below). The manuscript should be included as an attachment in MS Word or RTF format.

Preferred e-mail address for submission:

nedkock@stx.rr.com

Alternative e-mail address for submission:

nedkock@tamiu.edu

Manuscripts should ideally be between 4000 and 6000 words in length. Submissions should include the following:

(a) In the subject of the e-mail message: the text “IEEE TPC submission by:” followed by the last names of the co-authors – e.g., “IEEE TPC Submission by: Rodriguez, Choi, and Wright”.

(b) In the body of the e-mail message, for each author: Name, university/organization affiliation, e-mail, mailing address, and phone/fax numbers. Please indicate who the contact author for the submission is.

(c) Also in the body of the e-mail message: the names and full contact information of at least two suggested reviewers, who should be “neutral” (e.g., no former advisors or students please), followed by a statement to the effect that there is no conflict of interest between the suggested reviewers and any of the co-authors.

(d) In the manuscript submission: Submission title, an abstract of the submission, keywords, the main body of the submission, and references.

Please do not include the names of the authors in the manuscript, or any information that would allow for their identification. Reviews will be blind.

The submission review process will be managed through e-mail. The receipt of submissions will be quickly confirmed by e-mail.

Submissions should follow the bibliography style guidelines for IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication (see URL below), or the APA referencing style. All accepted submissions will have to comply with the bibliography style guidelines for IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication.

http://ieeepcs.org/activities_publications_transactions.php

Information on camera-ready copy preparation will be provided to authors upon acceptance.