1 . While the benefits of Zoom and other videoconferencing tools made them absolutely essential in the pandemic (疫情), the research suggests that heavy reliance on the technology comes at a cost to creative thinking.
Brucks at Columbia University and her team started their investigation when managers reported having trouble innovating with remote workers. Brucks doubted whether videoconferencing was a factor, suspecting that difficulties coordinating (协调) large, global teams online might be to blame instead.
To find out, the researchers analysed ideas for new products generated by 1,490 engineers for a multinational company. The engineers, who were in Finland, Hungary, India, Israel and Portugal, were randomly paired up and given an hour or so to brainstorm products either in person or over videoconferencing. They then selected their best idea.
Writing in Nature, the researchers report that the engineers produced more ideas, and more innovative ideas, when working face to face. “They are not only generating a larger number of creative ideas, but their best idea is better,” Brucks said. Virtual teams were just as good at selecting the best ideas from a bunch as those that met in person.
“Visual focus is a huge component of cognitive (认知) focus. When you’re focused on the screen and ignoring the rest of the environment, that affects how you approach the task,” said Brucks. “It’s uniquely bad for creativity because it’s inhibiting broader exploration.”
Brucks said the impact on the real world “could be huge”, leading to a division of labour between face-to-face and virtual meetings that could “permanently reshape the office and work schedules”. But she urged businesses to be cautious, because if virtual meetings are cheaper than in-person ones, they may still be more cost-effective.
Asked for tips, Brucks said people could save more creative tasks for in-person meetings, or turn off their camera when coming up with ideas. “I think it unlocks more creative thinking,” she said.
1. Why did Brucks conduct the research?| A．To prove her assumption. | B．To clarify a new concept. | C．To make a comparison. | D．To explain a rule. |
| A．Face-to-face gatherings promote cross-culture ties. | B．Workers think less creatively in virtual meetings. |
| C．Individual work generates more innovative ideas. | D．Videoconferencing has an irreplaceable role. |
| A．Encouraging. | B．Requiring. | C．Beginning. | D．Preventing. |
| A．They should be used accordingly. | B．They’ll make office workers divided. |
| C．They’ll give way to in-person meetings. | D．They help businesses run more efficiently. |
