Technophobia Mark J Brosnan

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Technophobia (Mark J Brosnan)

• W. KI 2002

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How would we define TP?

• Irrational fears disproportionate to the
  actual threat
• Different levels of TP
• uncomfortable users (try to avoid if possible)
• Negative internal views (on oneself)
• Highly anxious (with observable physiological
  symptom)

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How can we tell that someone has computer phobia?

• Try to avoid using computers
• Excessive caution when using computers
• Negative remarks on computers
• Negative remarks on oneself about using computers
• An irrational anticipation of fear even evoked by
  the thought of using computers
• Others?

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Computer anxiety scales

• Computer anxiety Rating Scales (CARS)
• Heinssen,R.K.Jnr, Glass,C.R. and Knight,L.A.
  (1987) Assessing computer anxiety development
  and validation of the computer anxiety rating
  scale. Computer s in Human Behaviour,3,49-59.
• Teacher computer anxiety
• Weil,M.M. Rosen,L.D. (1995) The psychological
  impact of technology from a global perspective.
  Computers in Human Behaviour, 11(1),95-133.
• Computer damage / task performance / social
  embarrassment
• Russell,G. Bradley,G.(1997) Teacher computer
  anxiety Education and Information Technologies,
  2, 17-30

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Correlations

• Anxiety ?? task achievement ?
• Unclear in general
• Anxiety affects performance clearly only when
  something unforeseen / unknown occurs.
• Gender ?
• Cognitive style ?
• Personal anxiety trait ?
• (we shall deal with these in more details
  later)

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• Age ?? anxiety ?
• Unclear in general
• The only clear relationship ones age when first
  interacting with a computerExperience ? anxiety
• More experience correlate with lower anxiety
• But can be a chickenegg
• Ability ? anxiety ?
• Not the ability to conceive the problem
  solution, but the ability to identify and correct
  errors that relates to levels of anxiety