NotesFAQContact Us
Collection
Advanced
Search Tips
Back to results
ERIC Number: ED226268
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1982-Aug
Pages: 25
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Attitudes toward Specific Computer Applications: Belief, Experiential, and Personality Correlates.
Kerber, Kenneth W.
Although several surveys of attitudes toward computers have been conducted, little is known about attitudes toward specific computer applications. College students (N=203) were surveyed about their attitudes toward computer applications. Results indicated that there are three clusters of computer applications about which respondents hold similar attitudes: quantitative (e.g., processing skills); decision making (e.g., diagnosing medical problems); and record keeping (e.g., storing information about criminals). Students were favorable toward quantitative and record-keeping applications but rejected decision-making applications, especially those involving decisions traditionally made by psychologists. Experience with computers and perceptions of the computer as effecient, humanizing, and enjoyable correlated significantly with attitudes toward specific applications. Locus of control and interpersonal trust were not related to attitudes. The findings suggest that the values brought to bear on a decision may depend upon the nature of the computer application and that psychologists in particular should be concerned about the extent to which, in the interests of economy and efficiency, they may contribute to an individual's feelings of dehumanization. (JAC)
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A
Note: Paper presented at the Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association (90th, Washington, DC, August 23-27, 1982).