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Knowledge Exchange as a Motivated Social Process

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The Psychology of Digital Learning

Abstract

Be it in the case of learning together or cooperating with each other at universities, in schools, at work or during leisure time, individuals usually need to exchange knowledge in order to achieve their goals. Knowledge exchange contributes to joint performance, provided that the knowledge is, indeed, effectively exchanged. Such knowledge exchange often occurs via computer-mediated communication (cmc): e-mails, online chats, blogs, or social networks provide an easy opportunity to exchange information at all times and with a wide range of users. Yet, people do not always exchange knowledge via digital media effectively– although digital media would technically allow them to do so. Why is this the case and how can we foster exchange? This chapter considers knowledge exchange as a socially motivated process. We argue that, at times, people may be motivated to share their information with others, such as when trying to reach a decision together as a group; yet, at other times, people might strategically withhold information from others, such as when trying to keep a personal advantage. This chapter outlines from an experimental, social–psychological approach how specific social constellations between users can elicit such group- or self-serving motives and how these can enhance or hinder knowledge exchange. Finally, we discuss how barriers for knowledge exchange may be overcome in order to facilitate collaboration in cmc (or face-to-face) contexts.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien (IWM), Schleichstraße 6, 72076, Tübingen, Germany

    Annika Scholl, Florian Landkammer & Kai Sassenberg

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  1. Annika Scholl
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  2. Florian Landkammer
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  3. Kai Sassenberg
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Correspondence to Annika Scholl .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Realistic Depictions, Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien, Tübingen, Germany

    Stephan Schwan

  2. Knowledge Construction, Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien, Tübingen, Germany

    Ulrike Cress

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Scholl, A., Landkammer, F., Sassenberg, K. (2017). Knowledge Exchange as a Motivated Social Process. In: Schwan, S., Cress, U. (eds) The Psychology of Digital Learning. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49077-9_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49077-9_5

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