Computer mediated communication (CMC) is a form of interaction that heavily involves technology (e.g., instant messaging, email). A study was conducted to compare relational intimacy in people interacting via CMC to people meeting face-to-face (FTF). (Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, Apr. 2004.) Participants were 48 undergraduate students, of which half were randomly assigned to the CMC group and half assigned to the FTF group. Each group was given a task that required communication with their group members. Those in the CMC group communicated using the “chat” mode of instant-messaging software; those in the FTF group met in a conference room. The variable of interest, relational intimacy score, was measured (on a 7-point scale) for each participant after each of three different meeting sessions. Summary statistics for the first meeting session are given here. The researchers hypothesized that, after the first meeting, the mean relational intimacy score for participants in the CMC group would be lower than the mean relational intimacy score for participants in the FTF group. Test the researchers’ hypothesis using α = .10.   

 

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CMC FTF Number of Participants 24 24 Sample Mean 3.54 3.53 Standard Deviation .49 38