This study examined the influence of richness, mediation and time pressure on decision-making, communication quality, and social judgments with a theoretical approach and methodology that focused on the communication process as an explanatory mechanism for understanding mediated communication. Seventy-three dyads interacted in one of three communication modes (FtF, audio-conferencing, and video-conferencing) and under one of three levels of time pressure (high, medium, and low). Each dyad completed a social task followed by three decision-making tasks. Participants completed measures of task load after each decision-making task, then completed measures of thirteen dimensions of communication quality at the conclusion of the third decision-making task. The omnibus and contrast tests showed support for the influence of the structural affordances of richness and mediation on communication quality and decision-making, in particular between the two mediated conditions. Time pressure was not a significant predictor of communication quality, but did affect performance and decision-making. Three explanations are offered for the results, and the implications for decision-making are discussed.