When attempting to solve a problem, humans call upon cognitive resources. These resources are limited, and the degree of their utilisation is described as cognitive load. While the number of parameters to be taken into account and to be processed by modern-day knowledge workers increases, their cognitive resources do not. Research shows that too high a load can increase stress and failure rates and decrease the work satisfaction and performance of employees. It is thus in the interest of organisations to reduce the cognitive load of their employees and keep it at a moderate level. One way to achieve this may be the application of virtual assistants (VAs), software programs, that can be addressed via voice or text commands and respond to the users’ input. This study uses a laboratory experiment with N = 91 participants comparing two groups in their ability to solve a task. One group was able to make use of a VA while the other could not. Besides task performance, the cognitive load of the participants was measured. Results show that (a) cognitive load is negatively related to task performance, (b) the group using the VA performed better at the task and (c) the group using the VA had a lower cognitive load. These findings show that VAs are a viable way to support employees and can increase their performance. It adds to the growing field of IS research on VAs by expanding the field for the concept of cognitive load.

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关于虚拟主体降低认知负荷的能力：一项实验研究

当试图解决问题时，人类需要认知资源。这些资源是有限的，其利用程度称为认知负荷。尽管现代知识工作者要考虑和处理的参数数量增加了，但他们的认知资源却没有增加。研究表明，负载过高会增加压力和故障率，并降低员工的工作满意度和绩效。因此，降低组织员工的认知负担并将其保持在中等水平符合组织的利益。实现此目的的一种方法可能是虚拟助手（VA），软件程序的应用，可以通过语音或文本命令对其进行寻址并响应用户的输入。这项研究使用了N = 91名参与者的实验室实验，比较了两组人解决任务的能力。一组能够使用VA，而另一组则不能。除了任务表现，还测量了参与者的认知负荷。结果表明：（a）认知负荷与任务绩效负相关；（b）使用VA的组在任务上的表现更好；（c）使用VA的组的认知负荷较低。这些发现表明，增值服务是支持员工并提高绩效的可行方法。通过扩展认知负荷概念的领域，它增加了对VA的IS研究领域的增长。结果表明：（a）认知负荷与任务绩效负相关；（b）使用VA的组在任务上的表现更好；（c）使用VA的组的认知负荷较低。这些发现表明，增值服务是支持员工并提高绩效的可行方法。通过扩展认知负荷概念的领域，它增加了对VA的IS研究领域的增长。结果表明：（a）认知负荷与任务绩效负相关；（b）使用VA的组在任务上的表现更好；（c）使用VA的组的认知负荷较低。这些发现表明，增值服务是支持员工并提高绩效的可行方法。通过扩展认知负荷概念的领域，它增加了对VA的IS研究领域的增长。