Computer attitude as a moderator in the relationship between computer anxiety,satisfaction, and stress

The present study empirically examines the relationship between computer anxiety, job satisfaction, career satisfaction, and stress. Based on self-efficacy theory and self-worth theory of achievement-motivation, it is hypothesized that the relationship between computer anxiety and job satisfaction is curvilinear and attitude towards computer moderates such relationship. The relationship between computer anxiety and career satisfaction and job stress were empirically examined in this study. Two hundred and thirty undergraduate students (125 female and 105 male students) at a university in south-western part of Louisiana completed computer anxiety, computer attitude, job satisfaction, career satisfaction and stress surveys. Hierarchical moderated regression results support that the attitude towards computer acts as a moderator in the relationship between (i) computer anxiety and stress, (ii) computer anxiety and job satisfaction, and (iii) computer anxiety and career satisfaction. Implications for management are discussed.     

Computer attitude,statistics anxiety and self-efficacy on statistical software adoption behavior: An empirical study of online MBA learners

Educators need to know how to motivate business students (i.e., future business practitioners) to learn and use statistical software, which can provide the practical skills necessary for business professionals to analyze data and make informed decisions. Using a sample of 207 online MBA students from an AACSB accredited university in the Midwest, a modified TAM model was examined using LISREL 8.80. The empirical results show that both computer attitude and statistical software self-efficacy have significant, positive effects on perceived usefulness. In addition, it was found that both perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use positively influence learners’ intentions to use statistical software, whereas their anxiety with statistics has a significant, negative impact on perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and behavioral intentions. Both theoretical and practical implications are discussed in this paper.     

Understanding the behavior changes in belief and attitude among experienced and inexperienced learning object users

Prior empirical studies in the implementation of general information technologies (IT) have revealed that IT adoption and usage were determined by user beliefs and attitudes. However, little is known about how user beliefs and attitudes form and change over time. To address these issues, this paper reports a study of 481 inexperienced and 120 experienced potential users on learning objects. Technology acceptance model’s constructs were used to conduct a longitudinal study across three phases (introduction, training and direct-use experience) to examine the formation and the changes in users’ beliefs and behavioral intention to use learning objects over time. The results showed that the rates of changes in users’ beliefs and behavioral intention toward learning objects usage were time-variant and were more predominant during the early stage (introduction to training) of learning objects usage than in the later stages (training to direct-use experience). The study confirmed that initial exposure through introduction and training was effective in improving inexperienced users’ beliefs and intentions to use learning objects. It also helped to reduce the belief and intention gaps that existed between experienced and inexperienced users. In addition, the influence of initial introduction and training on users’ beliefs and perceptions was sustained over time, thus further indicating their importance.     

Computer training, frequency of usage and burnout: the moderating role of computer self-efficacy

The main aim of this paper is to test the moderating role of computer self-efficacy in the relationship among computer training, frequency of usage and burnout (i.e. exhaustion and cynicism). The sample was made up of 140 workers using computer-aided technology in their jobs. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were carried out. Results show that frequency of usage and computer training are positively associated with computer self-efficacy. Futhermore, we found interaction effects between computer training×computer self-efficacy on both indicators of burnout as outcomes. Computer self-efficacy moderated the relationship between computer training and burnout. Limitations of the study and practical implications of these findings are discussed.     

Computer use in older adults: Determinants and the relationship with cognitive change over a 6 year episode

Cognitively challenging activities may support the mental abilities of older adults. The use of computers and the Internet provides divergent cognitive challenges to older persons, and in previous studies, positive effects of computer and Internet use on the quality of life have been demonstrated. The present study addresses two research aims regarding predictors of computer use and the relationship between computer use and changes in cognitive abilities over a 6-year period in both younger (24-49 years) and older adults (older than 50 years). Data were obtained from an ongoing study into cognitive aging: the Maastricht Aging Study, involving 1823 normal aging adults who were followed for 9 years. The results showed age-related differences in predictors of computer use: the only predictor in younger participants was level of education, while in older participants computer use was also predicted by age, sex and feelings of loneliness. Protective effects of computer use were found for measures of selective attention and memory, in both older and younger participants. Effect sizes were small, which suggests that promotion of computer activities in older adults to prevent cognitive decline may not be an efficient strategy.     

Efficacy of a planned behavior model: Beliefs that contribute to computer usage intentions of student teachers and experienced teachers

The primary purpose of this study was to examine beliefs contributing to student teachers’ and experienced teachers’ intentions to use computer applications in their curricula. The secondary purpose was to investigate the efficacy of the decomposed theory of planned behavior for predicting such intentions. A purposeful sample of 19 teachers participated in semi-structured interviews. Results showed that both student and experienced teachers were motivated to use computers to prepare students for real world experiences. Although both groups reported high computer confidence, they expressed limitations in their usage. Student teachers focused on use of the Internet and not on using a variety of computer applications as tools for teaching and learning. Experienced teachers depended on both equipment resources and personal support from school administrators to successfully integrate technology into their classroom. Both teacher groups expressed the need for more computer-integrated training. This research provided support for using the decomposed theory of planned behavior to predict computer intentions and usage for teachers. Assessment of computer usage within any profession should be based upon a behavior model that complements the profession’s cultural environment.     

Effect of computer mouse gain and visual demand on mouse clicking performance and muscle activation in a young and elderly group of experienced computer users

The present study evaluated the specific effects of motor demand and visual demands on the ability to control motor output in terms of performance and muscle activation. Young and elderly subjects performed multidirectional pointing tasks with the computer mouse. Three levels of mouse gain and three levels of target size were used. All subjects demonstrated a reduced working speed and hit rate at the highest mouse gain (1:8) when the target size was small. The young group had an optimum at mouse gain 1:4. The elderly group was most sensitive to the combination of high mouse gain and small targets and thus, this age group should avoid this combination. Decreasing target sizes (i.e. increasing visual demand) reduced performance in both groups despite that motor demand was maintained constant. Therefore, it is recommended to avoid small screen objects and letters. Forearm muscle activity was only to a minor degree influenced by mouse gain (and target sizes) indicating that stability of the forearm/hand is of significance during computer mouse control. The study has implications for ergonomists, pointing device manufacturers and software developers.     

The effect of visual complexity when playing a slot-machine simulation: the role of computer experience, computer anxiety, and optimism

The increasing computerization of slot machines, as well as the growth of Internet gambling, has been a recent cause for concern. To investigate whether visual complexity promoted gambling behavior, we staked participants with money and had them play a computer-simulated slot machine that, for different groups, had a different number of symbols that appeared on the screen as the “reels” spun. We also measured participants’ experience with computers, their level of anxiety when dealing with computers, and their optimism for winning while playing the simulation. Although participants could quit immediately, not play the simulation, and keep the money, none did so. Analysis of their behavior while playing the simulation indicated no significant differences as a function of number of symbols appearing on the simulation. Furthermore, although computer experience was inversely related to computer-related anxiety, these measures (as well as optimism of winning) were not significantly related to participants’ behavior while playing the simulation. The present results appear to negate the idea that educating people about computers and how computerized games of chance are programmed could potentially inoculate individuals from becoming problem gamblers. Rather, they seem to demonstrate the strong allure of games of chance.     

Mental beliefs about blood,and not its smell,affect presence in a violent computer game

Presence in virtual reality – the feeling that one is inside mediated reality – has fascinated academics in the field of virtual reality from its onset. While conceptual analyses and empirical research unequivocally stressed the importance of immersion through sensory input, agent-related aspects such as mental beliefs received less attention. We are the first to examine the separate and combined effects of being exposed to the smell of a particular stimulus and/or having a representation of this stimulus in mind. Blood was considered to be interesting to work with, because of widespread folk ideas about its capacity to induce aggression in violent contexts. Using a violent computer game in a between-subjects design, male subjects were tested for the immersive impact of blood, first as an olfactory cue, and second as a mental belief, i.e. the true or false belief that one is smelling ‘blood’. Lower skin conductance and game scores showed that ‘blood’ served as a distractor hindering the subject’s spontaneous engagement. Subjects higher in dispositional aggressiveness, however, got more immersed during the ‘blood’ game rounds, by displaying more combativeness. We discuss our results in light of the undervalued importance of subjective realism in research on presence, and explain the relevance of this work for applications in virtual training in the military and for clinical intervention in combat-related PTSD.     

Age as a moderator of attitude towards technology in the workplace: work motivation and overall job satisfaction

Given the prevalence of technology in the workplace, an understanding of employees' attitudes towards technology is essential. Such attitudes have been linked to such important issues as the successful implementation of new technologies in the workplace, employee intent to use technology, and the actual usage of technology by employees. As a result of the rapidly aging workforce, and because age has been linked to computer use and comfort, it is important to examine the relationship that may exist between age and attitudes towards technology. This study examines age as a moderator of 612 employees' attitudes towards technology in relation to work motivation (intrinsic and extrinsic) and overall job satisfaction. Further, given the technological socialisation of the Generation X (Gen X) versus the Baby Boomers, our sample comprised these two demographics. Hierarchical moderated multiple regression indicates age moderates the relationship between attitude towards technology and intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, and to a lesser extent, overall job satisfaction. In each instance, older employees exhibit the strongest relationships with the outcome variables when possessing a high attitude towards technology. In contrast, older employees exhibit the weakest relationships when possessing a low attitude towards technology. These results are supportive of the moderating effect of age on attitude towards technology. Lastly, implications and directions for future research are discussed.     

Students' profiles of ICT use: Identification,determinants, and relations to achievement in a computer and information literacy test

Current debates on students' use of information and communication technology (ICT) have brought to attention profiles and purposes of ICT use in either school-related or recreational contexts. Examining these two contexts at the same time, the present study seeks to identify student profiles of ICT use on the basis of the Norwegian International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS) 2013 data (N = 2426). In order to explore profiles of ICT use in schools and at home for different purposes such as recreation, study purposes, exchanging information, and social communication, we take a person-centered approach and apply latent profile analysis. These analyses revealed two independent user profiles and showed that background characteristics (i.e., gender, immigration status) and motivational constructs (i.e., self-efficacy, interest, and enjoyment in ICT) play a significant role in determining profile membership. Significant differences between the user profiles in students' computer and information literacy test performance did not exist. Given that the coverage of ICT at home and in schools has increased substantially over the last decades, the identification of user profiles informs teachers and parents about whether or not students exploit these opportunities to the same extent. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.     

The influence of competition,cooperation, and player relationship in a motor performance centered computer game

We conducted an experiment to study the effects of goal structure in multiplayer gaming (competition vs. cooperation) and relationship type between players (positive pre-existing relationship [friends] vs. no pre-existing relationship [strangers]) on player motivation (as indicated by perceived effort put into the task), goal commitment, and performance in playing a balloon popping game. The cooperative goal structure was found to lead to greater effort put into the game than the competitive goal structure. In addition, playing with friends resulted in a stronger commitment to the in-game goals than playing with strangers in the cooperative goal structure context, yet no difference was found between playing with friends and playing with strangers with regard to goal commitment in the competitive goal structure context. A moderated mediation relationship was found among the variables. Theoretical contributions to the current literature on goal structure and motivation, practical implications for exergame design, and directions for future research are discussed.     

Designing motivational agents: The role of praise, social comparison, and embodiment in computer feedback

The present study draws on theories of attribution, social comparison, and social facilitation to investigate how computers might use principles of motivation and persuasion to provide user feedback. In an online experiment, 192 participants performed a speed-reading task. The independent variables included whether or not the verbal feedback from the computer involved praise, whether the objective feedback showed that the participants were performing better or worse from their peers, and whether or not the feedback was presented by an on-screen agent. The main dependent variables included a subjective measure of participants’ intrinsic motivation and an objective measure of their task persistence. Results showed that providing participants with praise or comparative information on others’ performance improved intrinsic motivation. When praised, participants whose performances were comparatively low persisted in the task longer than those whose performances were comparatively high did. Additionally, the mere presence of an embodied agent on the screen increased participants’ motivation. Together, these results indicate that praise and social comparison can serve as effective forms of motivational feedback and that humanlike embodiment further improves user motivation.     

Sessional,weekly and diurnal patterns of computer lab usage by students attending a regional University in Australia

Most universities have invested in extensive infrastructure in the form on computer laboratories and computer kiosks. However, is this investment justified when it is suggested that students work predominantly from home using their own computers? This paper provides an empirical study investigating how students at a regional university multi-campus university use computer laboratories. The findings suggest that universities need to reassess the traditional driving force and expectation for extensive on-campus computing facilities as there is a huge underutilisation of these facilities. Instead it is recommended that alternative computing facilities in the form of student-centred facilities such as wireless hotspots could be provided.     

Exploring students' learning effectiveness and attitude in Group Scribbles‐supported collaborative reading activities: a study in the primary classroom

Improving students' reading comprehension is of significance. In this study, collaborative learning supported by Group Scribbles (GS), a networked technology, was integrated into a primary reading class. Forty‐seven 10‐year‐old students from two 4th grade classes participated in the study. Experimental and control groups were established to investigate the effectiveness of GS‐supported collaborative learning in enhancing students' reading comprehension. The results affirmed the effectiveness of the intervention designed. In the experiment group, students' learning attitudes, motivation and interest were enhanced as well. Further analyses were done to probe students' interaction processes in the networked collaborative classroom and different collaboration patterns and behaviours were identified. Based on the findings obtained, implications for future learning design to empower L1 learning were elaborated.     

Knowledge transfer in IT offshoring relationships: the roles of social capital,efficacy and outcome expectations

Information technology (IT) development in global organisations relies heavily on the transfer of tacit and complex knowledge from onshore units to offshore subsidiaries. A central concern of such organisations is the development of social capital, which is known to facilitate the smooth transfer of knowledge. However, only a few studies in IS research have explicitly examined the role of social capital for knowledge transfer in an IT offshoring context. In this paper, we argue that such knowledge transfer mechanisms can be understood better by considering social capital in concert with knowledge senders' efficacy and outcome expectations, two of the potentially key motivational drivers of knowledge transfer. We develop our arguments through a qualitative case study of a large German multinational company. German IT developers in this firm provided in‐depth accounts of their experience with offshore colleagues in an Indian captive subsidiary unit. Drawing on our analysis, we develop a model that depicts the influence of social capital, efficacy and outcome expectations on onshore IT developers' ability and willingness to transfer knowledge to offshore colleagues. Through the model, we also explain how social capital, efficacy and outcome expectations are interrelated and generate three interlocked, self‐reinforcing circles of knowledge transfer success in IT offshoring relationships.     

Athena, Andrew and Stanford: a look at implementation and evaluation in three large projects

Abstract Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Carnegie Mellon University have both embarked on enormous projects designed to implement workstation environments for use in academic endeavours. Project Athena at MIT is a network designed to service teaching and learning only, while the Andrew network at CMU is to service both teaching and research. Stanford University's computer-intensive environment for teaching and learning owes no allegiance to either the Athena or the Andrew model. The environments at these three universities are summarized and placed in context.     

Midgar: Detection of people through computer vision in the Internet of Things scenarios to improve the security in Smart Cities,Smart Towns,and Smart Homes

Could we use Computer Vision in the Internet of Things for using pictures as sensors? This is the principal hypothesis that we want to resolve. Currently, in order to create safety areas, cities, or homes, people use IP cameras. Nevertheless, this system needs people who watch the camera images, watch the recording after something occurred, or watch when the camera notifies them of any movement. These are the disadvantages. Furthermore, there are many Smart Cities and Smart Homes around the world. This is why we thought of using the idea of the Internet of Things to add a way of automating the use of IP cameras. In our case, we propose the analysis of pictures through Computer Vision to detect people in the analysed pictures. With this analysis, we are able to obtain if these pictures contain people and handle the pictures as if they were sensors with two possible states. Notwithstanding, Computer Vision is a very complicated field. This is why we needed a second hypothesis: Could we work with Computer Vision in the Internet of Things with a good accuracy to automate or semi-automate this kind of events? The demonstration of these hypotheses required a testing over our Computer Vision module to check the possibilities that we have to use this module in a possible real environment with a good accuracy. Our proposal, as a possible solution, is the analysis of entire sequence instead of isolated pictures for using pictures as sensors in the Internet of Things.     

Interactivity in human–computer interaction: a study of credibility, understanding, and influence

Advancements in computer technology have allowed the development of human-appearing and -behaving virtual agents. This study examined if increased richness and anthropomorphism in interface design lead to computers being more influential during a decision-making task with a human partner. In addition, user experiences of the communication format, communication process, and the task partner were evaluated for their association with various features of virtual agents. Study participants completed the Desert Survival Problem (DSP) and were then randomly assigned to one of five different computer partners or to a human partner (who was a study confederate). Participants discussed each of the items in the DSP with their partners and were then asked to complete the DSP again. Results showed that computers were more influential than human partners but that the latter were rated more positively on social dimensions of communication than the former. Exploratory analysis of user assessments revealed that some features of human–computer interaction (e.g. utility and feeling understood) were associated with increases in anthropomorphic features of the interface. Discussion focuses on the relation between user perceptions, design features, and task outcomes.     

Playing stupid, caring for users, and putting on a good show: Feminist acts in usability study work

As a feminist HCI agenda develops, feminist analyses of behaviour must venture beyond the dominant liberal feminist approach to include other feminist approaches. Using the personal narrative or auto-ethnographic method, this article explores the role of gender in usability work, a common research practice in HCI. In this article, the author interprets three gendered behaviours that occur in usability work - playing stupid, caring for and about users, and putting on a good show - demonstrating that while these behaviours appear anti-feminist in a liberal feminist framework, they appear feminist in alternative feminist frameworks, such as relational/care-giving, sex-positive, multicultural, post-colonial and Third Wave. The article demonstrates how a feminist HCI agenda that embraces the multiplicity of feminisms necessarily forces a re-examination of usability work’s relationship to both feminism and HCI research methods.