ABSTRACT

This study integrates theorizing about supportive communication and computer-mediated communication to investigate how features of the interactional context, social presence, and evaluations of supportive messages shape recipients’ emotional improvement. Participants (N = 139) reported to the lab with a friend, where they were randomly assigned to experimental conditions that varied the lighting quality of the physical setting and screen size of the device for a video-mediated supportive conversation, which are relevant and impactful features of video chat interactions. Results were consistent with theorizing: Lighting quality exerted a positive serial indirect effect on receivers’ emotional improvement because of its influence on social presence, which in turn influenced evaluations of support. Findings are discussed as they relate to the role of social presence in explaining how contextual features shape video-mediated supportive conversations.

摘要

本研究整合了关于支持性沟通和计算机介导的沟通的理论，以调查交互环境的特征、社会存在和支持​​性信息的评估如何影响接受者的情绪改善。参与者（N = 139) 和一位朋友一起到实验室报告，在那里他们被随机分配到实验条件，这些条件改变了物理设置的照明质量和设备的屏幕尺寸，以进行视频介导的支持性对话，这些都是视频的相关和有影响力的特征聊天互动。结果与理论一致：照明质量对接受者的情绪改善产生积极的连续间接影响，因为它会影响社会存在，进而影响支持评估。讨论的结果与社会存在在解释上下文特征如何塑造视频介导的支持性对话中的作用有关。