The technology imprint and its effects on technology frequency of use

Abstract

Attitudes toward technology and technology acceptance have traditionally been studied from a cognitive perspective, focusing on attitude measures such as perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. This experiment examines the effects of emotional elements on technology frequency of use. The technology imprint model presented in this study is based in part on existing psychological theories and constructs, but is an independent model explaining a phenomenon not previously explored. A negative technology imprint is an acquired predisposition based on cognitive and affective elements that is stronger and harder to change than any attitude and negatively biases behavior toward technology-related target objects. An imprint is a result of the technology’s external characteristics and one’s own experiences. The study combines cognitive elements from the widely used technology acceptance model with an affect-based imprint index whose components are likeability and attitude strength. Using linear regression, the effects of these variables on the frequency of use of three technologies (Internet, ATMs, and mobile phone imaging) were examined. Questionnaires were used to collect the data from 302 participants. The sample was composed of Texas Tech University students and members of the local community. Results showed that the imprint index significantly reduced the frequency of use of all three technologies; Internet, â = -.128, t(301) = -2.335, p = .02, ATM, â = -.196, t(301) = -2.495, p = .01, and mobile phone, â = -.280, t(295) = -4.558, p < .01. Additionally, the cognitive and affective variables explained a significant proportion of frequency of use variance; Internet, R2 = ..34, F = 38.16, p < .01, ATM, R2 = ..34, F = 37.40, p < .01, and mobile phone R2 = ..46, F = 61.77, p < .01. Of the six null hypotheses of the study, two were fully rejected and four were partially rejected.