University of SaskatchewanHARVEST
  • Login
  • Submit Your Work
  • About
    • About HARVEST
    • Guidelines
    • Browse
      • All of HARVEST
      • Communities & Collections
      • By Issue Date
      • Authors
      • Titles
      • Subjects
      • This Collection
      • By Issue Date
      • Authors
      • Titles
      • Subjects
    • My Account
      • Login
      JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.
      View Item 
      • HARVEST
      • Electronic Theses and Dissertations
      • Graduate Theses and Dissertations
      • View Item
      • HARVEST
      • Electronic Theses and Dissertations
      • Graduate Theses and Dissertations
      • View Item

      The effects of the media equation on children

      Thumbnail
      View/Open
      FINALTHESISpdfmargins.pdf (1.199Mb)
      Date
      2004-08-26
      Author
      Chiasson, Sonia
      Type
      Thesis
      Degree Level
      Masters
      Metadata
      Show full item record
      Abstract
      Computers play an increasingly large part in children’s daily lives, yet most interface design research has focused on adult users. One area of research that has informed adult interface design is the Media Equation, which explains how people respond to media in a fundamentally social manner and how they treat computers as social actors in interactions. To date, it was unknown whether these findings apply to children as well. This thesis investigates the effects of the Media Equation on children in three specific areas: praise, team formation, and politeness. It also examines whether varying the form of the computer affects the Media Equation in any way and whether there are any gender differences in how children respond to the Media Equation. Little evidence was found to support the existence of Media Equation effects on children. Children responded positively regardless of whether any Media Equation elements were incorporated into the interfaces. These results raise doubts on whether there is any added value to including Media Equation principles into the design of children’s interfaces. The results do, however, shed some light on children-computer interaction and lead to a set of guidelines for designers of children’s technology.
      Degree
      Master of Science (M.Sc.)
      Department
      Computer Science
      Program
      Computer Science
      Supervisor
      Gutwin, Carl
      Committee
      Greer, J. E. (Jim); Brown, Barry; Subramanian, Sriram
      Copyright Date
      August 2004
      URI
      http://hdl.handle.net/10388/etd-09082004-125955
      Subject
      Human-Computer Interaction
      HCI
      Media Equation
      children
      Collections
      • Graduate Theses and Dissertations
      University of Saskatchewan

      University Library

      The University of Saskatchewan's main campus is situated on Treaty 6 Territory and the Homeland of the Métis.

      © University of Saskatchewan
      Contact Us | Disclaimer | Privacy