Individual Differences and Computer User-Training Behaviour: Examination of an Empirical Model

A model that incorporates both stable and dynamic individual differences to the nomological net of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) in the context of computer user training is proposed. A study using 348 completed surveys from University students engaged in computer training found that stable traits (Negative Affects, Trait Anxiety and Personal Innovativeness in IT (PIIT)) explained 35% of variance in Computer Anxiety (CA). Significant support to the model provides evidence that stable individual differences are antecedents to and predict both Computer Self Efficacy and CA. In addition, the model demonstrates the relationship of these determinants to the TAM

Does Within-Culture Variation Matter? An Empirical Study of Computer Usage

This article examines within-culture variance in the influence of values on perceptions and use of information technology (IT). Based on cross-cultural research, we suggest that cultural values influence technology acceptance and use. Specifically, we argue that masculinity/femininity and individualism/collectivism directly influence personal innovativeness with IT, computer anxiety, and computer self-efficacy, and have a mediated effect on perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and use of IT. Overall, analysis provides support for the research model. Our results suggest that masculinity/femininity influences computer selfefficacy, computer anxiety, and personal innovativeness with IT. We also offer implications for research and practice

Affective Responses to Technology Use: Examining the Dark Side, Exploring the Bright Side

The study of individual, affect-related consequences from technology adoption and use is gaining traction in the information systems (IS) discipline. Efforts to explore affective reactions to technology have considered various positive, affective constructs (e.g., enjoyment, computer playfulness, and flow), with a more recent focus on the dark side of technology use and constructs such as technostress, technophobia, and computer anxiety. While some research has examined these negative affective responses to technology, construct definitions and relationships are not well-defined or theoretically grounded. A recent theoretical advance in IS, the Affective Response Model (ARM) categorizes affective responses to technology based on five dimensions. This three-paper dissertation explores negative affective responses to technology by (1) synthesizing the IS literature through the application of ARM, (2) proposing new affective concepts, and (3) theorizing about and testing the relationships between relevant antecedents and outcomes of these affective responses. In paper one, an integrative literature review is conducted on computer anxiety, technophobia and technostress, the main negative affective concepts in the IS literature. The known antecedents, dimensions, and outcomes of each concept are organized into nomological networks. These nomological networks are then combined to identify inconsistencies and omissions in the literature. Further, the ARM taxonomy is applied to differentiate the three constructs and to introduce technology-induced state anxiety (TISA), a new temporal (state-like) negative response to a specific instance of technology. Two empirical studies are conducted using existing and newly developed scales, and demonstrate that computer anxiety, technophobia, technostress and TISA are conceptually and empirically distinct, laying a foundation for further exploration of how these constructs are related. In paper two, much of the integrated nomological network from paper one is tested in the context of a laboratory experiment with a spreadsheet application. The relationship between computer anxiety, technostress and TISA is explored in more depth with the mediating influence of technostress on TISA proposed and confirmed. ARM is further extended in two ways (1) by demonstrating the impact of the characteristics of the task/organizational context, a new category of antecedents identified from paper one, and (2) connecting affective responses to computing performance outcomes (e.g. satisfaction with performance, expected future performance, and an objective measure of task accuracy). Finally, this paper concludes by evaluating how the relationship between antecedents, affective responses and performance outcomes may change with system experience. The laboratory experiment is repeated after six weeks of regular system usage to test whether the strong influence of TISA observed at time 1 diminishes as expected. In paper 3, the research model from paper 2 is expanded by integrating positive affective concepts. It is known that positive and negative concepts are distinct and individuals can experience high levels of both positive and negative affect at the same time. Therefore, ARM is further extended by demonstrating the practical and theoretical importance of considering both positive and negative affective responses. This paper explores the domain of a less structured creative task, employing a laboratory experiment in which participants design a flyer. Computer anxiety, technostress and TISA are measured alongside enjoyment, and two newly proposed concepts, technomancy and computer enthusiasm. The unique impact of these positive and negative affective responses on performance outcomes is demonstrated. Lastly, the intervention effect of a positive mood is evaluated experimentally. Participants in a positive mood prior to working on the design task experienced more enjoyment. Those assigned a more difficult task and a less usable technology also experienced less TISA due to being in positive mood state. Positive mood also had a helpful indirect effect on performance outcomes. The findings from the three dissertation papers have important theoretical and practical implications. A major IS theoretical framework is meaningfully applied to negative affective concepts and extended. Second, this work offers more detailed explanation of what antecedents influence certain affective concepts more, building on the omnibus and reciprocal propositions in ARM. Third, this work formally connects affective responses to computing performance outcomes. Lastly, the added benefit of considering positive concepts side-by-side with negative concepts is demonstrated. Focusing on the dark side alone is both theoretically incomplete and practically misleading. There are also important implications for practitioners. It is shown that minimizing TISA is especially critical in the early stages of using a system, as TISA is the affective concept driving performance outcomes the most at that time. This idea holds true for both structured computing tasks and less structured, creative tasks. Also, establishing a positive mood prior to engaging with the system heightens the enjoyment experienced and reduces TISA under very challenging situations, for instance when the technology is less usable and task requirements are high. This finding confirms that a positive mood can be a positive balancing force to negative affect, indirectly preserving performance outcomes. Finally, the concluding chapter of this dissertation discusses several future research directions that build on this work

Empirical Studies on Online Information Privacy Concerns: Literature Review and an Integrative Framework

In the e-commerce environment, individuals’ concerns for online information privacy play critical roles in determining their intention to use the Internet to provide personal information for services and transactions. Understanding this relationship has important implications for e-commerce. Despite much research in this area, an overarching picture of the relationship between information privacy concerns and the antecedent and consequence factors is yet to be drawn. Based on a review on empirical studies in this area, this research summarizes the conceptualizations of privacy concerns and the antecedents and consequences. An integrative framework is developed to illustrate the relationships between the factors. In this framework, a person’s concern for information privacy regarding a specific e-commerce website is distinguished from his/her concern for information privacy regarding the general e-commerce environment. These two forms of privacy concerns have distinct impacts on a person’s online behavior. Their relationships with multiple antecedent and consequence factors are analyzed

Individual Differences in Cyber Security

A survey of IT professionals suggested that despite technological advancement and organizational procedures to prevent cyber-attacks, users are still the weakest link in cyber security (Crossler, 2013). This suggests it is important to discover what individual differences may cause a user to be more or less vulnerable to cyber security threats. Cyber security knowledge has been shown to lead to increased learning and proactive cyber security behavior (CSB). Self-efficacy has been shown to be a strong predictor of a user’s intended behavior. Traits such as neuroticism have been shown to negatively influence cyber security knowledge and self-efficacy, which may hinder CSB. In discovering what individual traits may predict CSB, users and designers may be able to implement solutions to improve CSB. In this study, 183 undergraduate students at San José State University completed an online survey. Students completed surveys of self-efficacy in information security, and cyber security behavioral intention, as well as a personality inventory and a semantic cyber security knowledge quiz. Correlational analyses were conducted to test hypotheses related to individual traits expected to predict CSB. Results included a negative relationship between neuroticism and self-efficacy and a positive relationship between self-efficacy and CSB. Overall, the results support the conclusion that individual differences can predict self-efficacy and intention to engage in CSB. Future research is needed to investigate whether CSB is influenced by traits such as neuroticism, if CSB can be improved through video games, and which are the causal directions of these effects

Elderly People in eHealth: Who are they?

AbstracteHealth initiatives are constantly evolving, supporting consumers to take active control of their health and well-being through access to health information via the Internet. Although particularly elderly people could benefit from eHealth, they often pose resistance and anxiety towards new technologies. Since modern technologies become increasingly complex, elderly's mental models on how technology works might be not supported. Today's technologies are often designed without paying attention to the circumstances of elderly people, thereby limiting the technologies’ intended effectiveness. As such it becomes apparent to understand who these ‘elderly people’ actually are and how individual characteristics shape elderly's perceptions and behavior in using eHealth. Consequently, we seek to investigate how broad personality traits (i.e. the ‘big five’) affect perceptions of elderly of being generally able to use the Internet (i.e. self-efficacy) in order to use the Internet for health-related purposes. By conducting a quantitative study among elderly people, we aim to contribute to the knowledge on relationships between personality traits and self-efficacy. We further expect to provide new insights on elderly's personality in order to design effective systems for the growing segment of older adults

Computer self-efficacy, anxiety, and learning in online versus face to face medium

The purpose of this research is to examine the relationships between changes to computer self-efficacy (CSE) and computer anxiety and the impact on performance on computer-related tasks in both online and face-to-face mediums. While many studies have looked at these factors individu-ally, relatively few have included multiple measures of these factors concurrently and assessed the effects over a period of time in a realistic environment. Transactional Distance Theory and previous research are used to develop a theoretical model integrating these factors. Transactional distance can be viewed as an outcome of the culture within an educational environment. As such the three transactional distance variables -structure, dialogue, and learner autonomy -may be measured by certain aspects of that culture. Describing the two mediums in terms of transactional distance allowed us to explore the interrelationships between the changes in CSE, Anxiety, and Performance in face-to-face and online classes. Data are drawn from students in a junior level Management Information Systems (MIS) class at a medium-size public University in the Southeast U.S.A. Classes in both mediums completed a real life computer-based project in which previously validated instruments are used to longitudi-nally measure perceptions of computer self-efficacy (CSE), computer anxiety, and transactional distance. Partial Least Squares (PLS), a structural equation modeling technique, is used to com-pare the results of these factors on performance in both the face-to-face and online mediums. The results show transactional distance was indeed acting as an anxiety-reducing mechanism. A comparison of differences between mediums suggests that the various aspects of transactional distance influence each differently. The findings highlight the importance of structure and inno-vation in the online medium while aspects of dialog were shown to be important in the face-to-face medium. In effect, the interactive or emotive characteristics of transactional distance were more important in the face-to-face medium, while the structure and individual autonomy aspects were more influential in the online medium. Thus, one implication for face-to-face instructors is the need to continually maintain free-flowing dialog with the students to enhance learning. On the other hand, logical organization is very important in an online medium. Finally, the significance of the innovation component illustrates the importance of using new techniques and technologies to improve the interac-tion aspect of online education. Under-standing these differences and imple-menting measures to accommodate these differences could increase teach-ing effectiveness and ultimately result in improvements in performance on com-puter-related tasks

Problematic Technology Use: The impact of personality and continued use

As technology becomes more pervasive, it is more accessible to use anytime, anywhere. Although technology has been a savior in many respects, there is a need for awareness of the potential for excessive and problematic technology use (PTU). Prompted by an increase in anxiety, stress, and feelings of isolation, some individuals may be more prone to PTU than others. If not recognized, PTU may become associated with obesity, sleeplessness, a decline in social skills, and deficient performance at school and work. The information systems literature has indicated that a variety of information technology artifacts can lead to PTU. The focus of this research will be to examine the antecedents of PTU, with an emphasis on IS continued use and personality traits. The value of this study is in addressing awareness, recognition, and prevention of PTU and proposing possible factors to consider in regulating the use of technology. The results suggest a significant and positive association between PTU and Information Systems continuance, habit, and personality traits of introversion and neuroticism

Individual differences in anticipated emotions, desires and intentions in approaching a computer task

Research on user training has drawn on psychological theory to understand individual differences effects. An extension of the Model of Goal-directed Behaviour (MGB) was used to test the role of Personality variables, Computer self-efficacy and Computer anxiety as antecedents of anticipated emotions, goal desires and intentions. Positive anticipated emotions were demonstrated to intervene in the relation between Computer self efficacy and goal desires

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ATTACHMENT AND CONTINUANCE

An important task in Information Systems research is to understand factors that influence the continuous use of information technology (IT). This study extends the literature by conceptualizing a construct called IT attachment to explain the phenomenon. Drawing upon the attachment theory in developmental and social psychology, it suggests that IT attachment, defined as an affective bond of the IT users to IT, is a determinant of the users’ satisfaction with IT and its continuance intention. Factors that influence the development of IT attachment are also analyzed, including IT confirmation, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and IT playfulness