The role of exogenous factors in technology acceptance: The case of object-oriented technology

In spite of many theoretical models, the role of exogenous factors in accepting object-oriented technology has not been satisfactorily demonstrated. By comparing two competing models, our study examined the role and location of exogenous variables in explaining user acceptance of object-oriented technology. Based on the results, we developed a new model that combined the key ideas of both TAM and TPB and showed that both models are necessary in understanding the unique role of each exogenous variable.     

The role of moderating factors in user technology acceptance

Along with increasing investments in new technologies, user technology acceptance becomes a frequently studied topic in the information systems discipline. The last two decades have seen user acceptance models being proposed, tested, refined, extended and unified. These models have contributed to our understanding of user technology acceptance factors and their relationships. Yet they have also presented two limitations: the relatively low explanatory power and inconsistent influences of the factors across studies. Several researchers have recently started to examine the potential moderating effects that may overcome these limitations. However, studies in this direction are far from being conclusive. This study attempts to provide a systematic analysis of the explanatory and situational limitations of existing technology acceptance studies. Ten moderating factors are identified and categorized into three groups: organizational factors, technological factors and individual factors. An integrative model is subsequently established, followed by corresponding propositions pertaining to the moderating factors.     

Understanding the role of technology in service innovation: Comparison of three theoretical perspectives

Although prior studies have stressed the importance of technology in service innovation, debates on the roles of technology continue to surface. This study aims to investigate the role of technology in service innovation based on a service innovation framework. After identifying four innovation orientations, we propose three competing models having different roles of technology (direct, indirect, and moderating). Using data from 193 service firms, we determine which model best explains the role of technology. Results show that technology plays multiple roles in service innovation. Our study helps managers effectively coordinate their technology infusion into service innovation to improve firm performance.     

A meta-analysis of e-learning technology acceptance: The role of user types and e-learning technology types

Existing literature in the field of e-learning technology acceptance reflects a significant number of independent studies that primarily investigate the causal relationships proposed by technology acceptance theory, such as the technology acceptance model (TAM). To synthesize the existing knowledge in the field of e-learning technology acceptance, we have conducted a systematic literature review of 42 independent papers, mostly published in major journals. Furthermore, in order to view the research context by combining and analyzing the quantitative results of the reviewed research studies, a meta-analysis of the causal effect sizes between common TAM-related relationships was conducted. The main findings of this study, which is the first of its kind, are: (1) TAM is the most-used acceptance theory in e-learning acceptance research, and (2) the size of the causal effects between individual TAM-related factors depends on the type of user and the type of e-learning technology. The results of the meta-analysis demonstrated a moderating effect for user-related factors and technology-related factors for several evaluated causal paths. We have gathered proof that the perceived ease of use and the perceived usefulness tend to be the factors that can influence the attitudes of users toward using an e-learning technology in equal measure for different user types and types of e-learning technology settings.     

Discovering the functional mesh: On the methods of evolutionary psychology

The aim of this paper is to clarify and critically assess the methods of evolutionary psychology, and offer a sketch of an alternative methodology. My thesis is threefold. (1) The methods of inquiry unique to evolutionary psychology rest upon the claim that the discovery of theadaptive functions of ancestral psychological capacities leads to the discovery of thepsychological functions of those ancestral capacities. (2) But this claim is false; in fact, just the opposite is true. We first must discover the psychological functions of our psychological capacities in order to discover their adaptive functions. Hence the methods distinctive of evolutionary psychology are idle in our search for the mechanisms of the mind. (3) There are good reasons for preferring an alternative to the methods of evolutionary psychology, an alternative that aims to discover the functions of our psychological capacities by appeal to the concept of awhole psychology.     

The role of utilitarianism,self-safety,and technology in the acceptance of self-driving cars

Cognition, Technology & Work - Self-driving vehicles are currently being developed in major industries for mass public deployment. Their benefits are attractive, and there is interest in having...     

The evolutionary structural optimization method: theoretical aspects

In 1993, Y.M. Xie and G.P. Steven introduced an approach called evolutionary structural optimization (ESO). ESO is based on the simple idea that the optimal structure (maximum stiffness, minimum weight) can be produced by gradually removing the ineffectively used material from the design domain. The design domain is constructed by the FE method, and furthermore, external loads and support conditions are applied to the element model. Considering the engineering aspects, ESO seems to have some attractive features: the ESO method is very simple to program via the FEA packages and requires a relatively small amount of FEA time. Additionally, the ESO topologies have been compared with analytical ones, e.g. Michell trusses, and so far the results are quite promising. On the other hand, ESO does not have a solid theoretical basis, and consequently, the ESO minimization problem is still unresolved. Since the good agreement between the results cannot be just a coincidence, in this paper, we will study whether the gradual removal of material can be explained mathematically and whether the theoretical basis of ESO can be outlined.First, a minimization problem solved by ESO is examined. Based on the results of earlier publications, it was assumed that the ESO method minimizes the compliance-volume product of a structure or a finite element model. It was noted that the sequential linear programming (SLP)-based approximate optimization method followed by the Simplex algorithm is equivalent to ESO if the strain energy rejection criterion is utilized. However, ESO should be applied so that the elements corresponding to the design domain are equally sized. If this requirement is not met, the rejection criterion, which also considers the varying sizes of the elements, should be used. Additionally, the element stiffness matrices and element volumes should be linearly dependent on the design variables. Also linearly elastic material is assumed. At each iteration the rejected elements should be removed completely. Most often only element removal is allowed in ESO. If the design variables are initially assigned values other than the maximum value, however, the elements should be allowed to reenter the design domain. This subject, obviously, needs further study. Typically, ESO is applied to problems having a planar design domain with in-plane forces only. In these cases, ESO produces truss-like, equally stressed and maximum-stiffness topologies. It is often recommended that, based on the topology optimization, a new finite element discretization should be employed. After that, the sizing optimization procedure can be performed. Since ESO seems to be producing truss-like topologies, ESO should be applied to structural problems having pin-jointed connections. For other types of structures ESO should be studied further.Finally, it can be concluded that ESO is not just an intuitive method, as it has a very distinct theoretical basis. It is also very simple to employ in engineering design problems. For this reason, ESO has potential to become a tool for design engineers.     

Investigating mobile wireless technology adoption: An extension of the technology acceptance model

This research represents a theoretical extension of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), which IS researchers have used to explain technologies’ perceived usefulness and individuals intention to use it. The authors developed a model, referred to as the Mobile Wireless Technology Acceptance Model (MWTAM), to test the relationship between theoretical constructs spanning technological influence processes (Perceived Ubiquity, and Perceived Reachability) and cognitive influence processes (Job Relevance, Perceived Usefulness, and Perceived Ease of Use) and their impact on Behavioral Intention. MWTAM is assessed using data collected from an online survey and analyzed using AMOS 5.0. Results provide evidence to support MWTAM as both the technological and cognitive influence processes accounted for 58.7% of the variance explained in an individual’s Behavioral Intention toward using mobile wireless technology. Additionally, the path coefficients between constructs ranged from 0.241 to 0.572 providing further evidence to support the theoretical extension of TAM.

Predicting user acceptance of collaborative technologies: An extension of the technology acceptance model for e-learning

Collaborative technologies support group work in project-based environments. In this study, we enhance the technology acceptance model to explain the factors that influence the acceptance of Google Applications for collaborative learning. The enhanced model was empirically evaluated using survey data collected from 136 students enrolled in a full-time degree program that used Google Applications to support project work. According to the research results, determinants of the technology acceptance model are the major factors influencing the adoption of the technology. In addition, the subjective norm represented by peers is found to significantly moderate the relationship between attitude and intention toward the technology. However, our results do not show a significant effect of subjective norms represented by instructors and mass media on students' intentions to use the technology. The ability to share information in the collaborative learning environment is found to influence intention and behavior toward the Google Applications platform.     

A meta-analysis of the technology acceptance model

A statistical meta-analysis of the technology acceptance model (TAM) as applied in various fields was conducted using 88 published studies that provided sufficient data to be credible. The results show TAM to be a valid and robust model that has been widely used, but which potentially has wider applicability. A moderator analysis involving user types and usage types was performed to investigate conditions under which TAM may have different effects. The study confirmed the value of using students as surrogates for professionals in some TAM studies, and perhaps more generally. It also revealed the power of meta-analysis as a rigorous alternative to qualitative and narrative literature review methods.     

The use and acceptance of new media entertainment technology by elderly users: development of an expanded technology acceptance model

Research on elderly people's ICT acceptance and use often relies on the technology acceptance model (TAM) framework, but has been mostly limited to task-oriented uses. This article expands approaches in technology acceptance and use by developing a model to explain entertainment-related uses of new media technology by elderly people. On a theoretical level, we expand the TAM perspective by adding concepts that act as barriers and/or facilitators of technology acceptance, namely technophobia, self-efficacy and previous experience and expertise with technology. We develop an expanded TAM by testing the role of these concepts in two studies on entertainment media technology. In Study 1, we investigate behavioural intention to use 3D cinema among N?=?125 German elderly media users (Age 50+). In Study 2, we focus the actual use of a computer game simulation by N?=?115 German and US elderly media users (Age 50+). Findings in both studies point towards the central role of perceived usefulness, here modelled as enjoyment, as the reason for elderly people's use and acceptance of entertainment media technology. Perceived ease of use is seen as a precondition for enjoyment, particularly for interactive media.     

Explaining software developer acceptance of methodologies: a comparison of five theoretical models

Many organizations attempt to deploy methodologies intended to improve software development processes. However, resistance by individual software developers against using such methodologies often obstructs their successful deployment. To better explain why individual developers accept or resist methodologies, five theoretical models of individual intentions to accept information technology tools were examined. In a field study of 128 developers in a large organization that implemented a methodology, each model explained significant variance in developers' intentions to use the methodology. Similar to findings from the tool adoption context, we found that, if a methodology is not regarded as useful by developers, its prospects for successful deployment may be severely undermined. In contrast to the typical pattern of findings in a tool context, however, we found that methodology adoption intentions are driven by: 1) the presence of an organizational mandate to use the methodology, 2) the compatibility of the methodology with how developers perform their work, and 3) the opinions of developers' coworkers and supervisors toward using the methodology. Collectively, these results provide surprising new insights into why software developers accept or resist methodologies and suggest what software engineering managers might do to overcome developer resistance.     

Investigating antecedents of technology acceptance of initial eCRM users beyond generation X and the role of self-construal

eCRM (electronic Customer Relationship Management) systems focus on using the web-site as the main interaction channel for businesses to simulate an old fashioned one-to-one direct relationship—high touch—with customers. In this research two distinct but related concepts, media richness from the Human Computer Interaction and Computer Mediated Communication fields and perceived interactivity from the Marketing and MIS fields, are disentangled and their unique impacts on technology acceptance variables are examined in the eCRM Acceptance Model. The present study contributes in extending the Technology Acceptance Model for the eCRM context and in establishing media richness and perceived interactivity as antecedents to perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. Our research model integrates system perception (e.g., perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use) and subjective outcome measures (e.g., decision satisfaction) in a single model to fully understand the impact of eCRM “touch” design perceived by e-customers on their intention to return after the initial visit. An experimental survey of two culture groups (independent vs. interdependent self-construal) of technology savvy, young college students reveals that culture value-orientation (e.g., self-construal) moderates the effect of decision satisfaction on behavior intention to return in our eCRM Acceptance model. Findings of this research thus have significant theoretical and managerial implications.     

Modelling technology acceptance in education: A study of pre-service teachers

The purpose of the study is to build a model that predicts the level of technology acceptance by pre-service teachers at a teacher training institute in Singapore. It examines relationships among variables associated with factors that influence technology acceptance. Data was collected from 475 participants using a survey questionnaire. Employing structural equation modelling, a hypothesized model was tested for model fit in the study. The resulting model is found to have a good fit. Perceived usefulness, attitude towards computer use, and computer self-efficacy have direct effect on pre-service teachers’ technology acceptance, whereas perceived ease of use, technological complexity, and facilitating conditions affect technology acceptance indirectly. These six variables account for approximately 27.1% of the variance of behavioural intention. Perceived usefulness appeared to the strongest determinant of behavioural intention.     

Just so stories and inference to the best explanation in evolutionary psychology

Evolutionary psychology is a science in the making, working toward the goal of showing how psychological adaptation underlies much human behavior. The knee-jerk reaction that sociobiology is unscientific because it tells just-so stories has become a common charge against evolutionary psychology as well. My main positive thesis is that inference to the best explanation is a proper method for evolutionary analyses, and it supplies a new perspective on the issues raised in Schlinger's (1996) just-so story critique. My main negative thesis is that, like many nonevolutionist critics, Schlinger's objections arise from misunderstandings of the evolutionary approach.Evolutionary psychology has progressed beyond telling just-so stories. It has found a host of ingenious special techniques to test hypotheses about the adaptive significance and proximate mechanisms of behavior. Naturalistic data using the comparative method combined with controlled tests using statistical analyses of data provide good evidence for a variety of hypotheses about behavioral control mechanisms — whether in nonhumans or in humans. For instance, the work of Gangestad and Thornhill on evolved mate preferences and fluctuating asymmetry of body type (FA) is a model of success. As the quantity and quality of evidence increase, we are entitled not just to regard such evolutionary hypotheses as preferable, but also as true. Such studies combine to show that the best explanation of the psychic unity of humankind — common patterns across societies, history, and cultures exposed by evolutionists — is the gendered, adapted, evolved species-typical design of the mind.     

A theoretical acceptance model for computer-based communication media: Nine field studies

This research study develops and tests a theoretical acceptance model to explain users’ acceptance of computer-based communication media. The model, which is referred to as TAM_CCM, originated from the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and conforms to the context of Computer-based Communication Media (CCM). It explains perceived usefulness and actual system use in terms of system characteristics (information process support and facilitating conditions), social influence (subjective norm and rules on media use), and user characteristics (experience and computer self efficacy). The model was tested using empirical data collected at nine organizations (N = 425), of which four had media rules and five had no similar rules. The TAM_CCM model was strongly supported accounting for 74% of the variance in usefulness perceptions and up to 74% of the variance in behavior intention to use. System characteristics (information process support), social influence (subjective norm and rules on media use), and user experience significantly influenced user acceptance of computer-based communication media. These advanced theory findings on computer-based communication media adoption and the research approach contribute to future research aimed at incorporating the TAM into specific contexts.     

The mediation of external variables in the technology acceptance model

TAM specifies a pathway of technology acceptance, from external variables to beliefs, attitudes, and system usage. We tested one of its assumptions that the ‘perceived ease-of-use’ and ‘perceived usefulness’ constructs fully mediate the influence of external variables on usage behaviors. Using a survey of 125 employees of a U.S. Government agency we found, contrary to the normally accepted assumption, that external variables could have direct effects on usage behavior over and above their indirect effects. We also found that TAM is significantly and consistently better at predicting frequency than volume of usage.     

Enticing online consumers: an extended technology acceptance perspective

The business-to-consumer aspect of electronic commerce (EC) is the most visible business use of the World Wide Web (WWW). A virtual store allows companies to provide product information and offer direct sales to their customers through an electronic channel. The fundamental problem motivating this study is that: in order for a virtual store to compete effectively with both physical stores and other online retailers, there is an urgent need to understand the factors that entice consumers to use it. This research attempted to provide both theoretical and empirical analyses to explain consumers’ use of a virtual store and its antecedents.By applying the technology acceptance model (TAM) and innovation diffusion theory (IDT), this research took an extended perspective to examine consumer behavior in the virtual store context. The data from a survey of online consumers was used empirically to test the proposed research model. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed to examine the reliability and validity of the measurement model, and the structural equation modeling (SEM) technique was used to evaluate the causal model. The implication of the work to both researchers and practitioners is discussed.