Sharing emotions impacts computer-supported collaborative processes: effect of an emotion awareness tool

There is a large consensus among researchers on the significant role of emotions in group effectiveness and performance. Emotion awareness tools (EATs) have been developed in recent years allowing members of a group to identify with their own- and their partner's emotions through a computer-mediated collaboration. In this study, we report the impact of an EAT on socio-cognitive and relational processes, and its differential effect depending on gender. This study shows that the EAT was beneficial for processes contributing to the quality of working relationships and the mutual modeling process, by which group members gain a better awareness of their partner's knowledge.