Abstract for Sherri Condon
When people learn to read, they fundamentally alter the way their brains
work by linking visual stimuli to language processing mechanisms that evolved
for auditory input. Computer-mediated communication makes it possible
to assess the influence of a variety of communication environments and
stimuli on the processes and strategies that people use to interact.
This presentation will examine how routine decision-making functions are
packaged into turn and message units that exploit the
transmission features of the communication environment. It will
be argued that the technology of virtual writing provides new possibilities
for the evolution of communication systems that take advantage of powerful
processing strategies not available in ordinary speech.