Thanks to the pandemic, more people are or have been working from home. Multiple studies and surveys have shown that many would like to carry on doing so, even as the threat from COVID-19 fades. However, new research carried out in the USA suggests that in-person teams tend to perform better in creativity at certain tasks than those working through videoconferencing software.

The initial study involved 602 participants, including university students and staff. With half the pairs sitting face-to-face in one room, and half using videoconferencing software, subjects were asked to come up with novel uses for a product. The researchers found that the in-person teams generated a greater number and wider range of ideas than the virtual teams. But when it came to their ability to pick the ‘best’ idea rated by comparing the creativity scores of the ideas they chose with the scores of those picked by the judges, there was little difference between the two groups.

To make sure the study wasn’t specific to any given population group, the tests were then conducted again, with 1,490 engineers working for a large company from five other countries. For this second set of tests, participants were asked to come up with new product ideas for their real-life employer. Using a variety of methods, the researchers found that people in the in-person group looked around the room and talked with each other more, whereas those using videoconferencing software took it in turns to speak and kept their eyes on the screen. These things negatively connected to idea generation.

“This new research was an important first step. But this is a single study and the effects are somewhat small, amounting to a difference in one or two ideas between the groups. How much impact this has would depend on the company itself. ” said Dr. Jay Olson, who studies ways to measure creativity.

【小题1】What did the new research made in America show?

A．Relaxing environment leads to great ideas.

B．Videoconferencing makes creativity likely happen.

C．Home-working surroundings bring about creativity.

D．Interaction in-person better contributes to novel ideas.

【小题2】In what way did the two groups tested in the initial study reveal little difference?

A．The ability to pick the best ideas.	B．The methods to tell the best ideas.
C．The number of best ideas produced.	D．The scores obtained in creating ideas.

【小题3】Why was the research conducted again?

A．To make the test more convincing.	B．To engage more people in the study.
C．To arouse the creativity of the subjects.	D．To classify the participants of the study.

【小题4】What did Dr. Jay Olson suggest?

A．Conducting more researches.	B．Treating the effects critically.
C．Making full use of the findings.	D．Clarifying the results of the study.