Editorial
We form opinions quickly, based on seemingly irrelevant factors like the shape of someone's face. This snap impression of someone is possible because our primary visual cortex performs the mental heavy lifting.
Research suggests that when we look at a scene for the first time, our brain categorizes items based on factors such as their shape and texture. We then rely on other parts of the brain for more complex processing, such as identifying the images.
In good news for remote working, researchers have discovered that this works in virtual environments such as Zoom just as well.
First Impressions
The COVID-19 pandemic saw a huge rise in virtual connectivity, with everything from schooling to healthcare moved online, while many people worked remotely for the first time. This meant that the majority of these first interactions happened virtually.
In our hybrid world, many of our first encounters still take place in a virtual environment. This shift raises intriguing questions about the mechanisms behind first impressions in a virtual setting. If our brains rely on visual and contextual cues to form these snap judgments, how might a mediated environment like a video call alter this process?
That was the question posed by researchers from the University of British Columbia, who explored whether the first impressions we make through a video call are as reliable as those we make when meeting people face-to-face.
The Affects of Virtual Introductions
For instance, it's well documented that text-based platforms strip away many ways that we understand other people, such as body language and tone of voice. Zoom calls are slightly better, but even then lack valuable contextual cues in understanding others.
Researchers examined whether the impressions we have of people when we connect with them virtually are accurate representations. For instance, do we assess their personalities accurately? Do we generally view those people in a positive way?
They then explored how these first impressions influenced the connections we ultimately forged with those new contacts. Were virtual connections longer lasting than those we meet in person?
"Finally, we looked at whether poor audio and video quality — a challenge specific to videoconferencing — affects how accurately people perceive each other, how typical those perceptions are and how much they end up liking each other," the authors explained. "To explore this, we ran two Zoom studies where people got to know each other — one exploratory and one a preregistered replication — and then compared the results to an in-person version of the same study."
Introductions on Video Meetings Works
The results are positive for advocates of remote working, as researchers found that we're generally able to forge both the same kind of first impressions and also lasting relationships regardless of whether we first meet someone online or offline.
"We thought they would differ," the researchers explained. "However, we didn't see any overall difference between the two, so we are just as accurate about assessing personalities when we meet people for the first time on Zoom versus in person."
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Interestingly, however, there were some slight differences in the kind of first impressions we have when meeting people online. The study found that when we meet someone in an online meeting, we're less successful in assessing traits such as neuroticism and extraversion. This suggests that when we meet someone via Zoom, we take in different information than when we meet in person, especially around some of our more expressive characteristics. On the flip side, when we engage via Zoom, we might gain access to background information about that person, such as any books or art in the background of their call.
So while our impressions are similar when we meet people virtually as when we do so in person, we might connecting slightly different ways. The results suggest, however, that virtual connections are still pretty good, which is further positive reinforcement in a world where the remote work debate continues.
Editor's Note: Catch up on other ways remote work has changed our relationships:
- Virtual Meeting Makeover: From Good to Great With a Few Simple Tweaks — With self-reflection, the ability to take and apply feedback and the willingness to make changes, you can transform your virtual meetings from good to great.
- Overcoming Perception Gaps in Remote Work Communication — Does virtual communication hinder our ability to build collaborative relationships? Research from UC Santa Cruz suggests suggests its complicated.
- Design Better Hybrid Work Experiences With Empathy — Start by identifying underlying needs and working back toward the solution, not the other way around.
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