Citation
(2014), "Executive summary of “Self-efficacy as an antecedent of cognition and affect in technology acceptance”", Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 31 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCM-04-2014-0935
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Executive summary of “Self-efficacy as an antecedent of cognition and affect in technology acceptance”
Article Type: Executive summary and implications for managers and executives From: Journal of Consumer Marketing, Volume 31, Issue 3
This summary has been provided to allow managers and executives a rapid appreciation of the content of the article. Those with a particular interest in the topic covered may then read the article in toto to take advantage of the more comprehensive description of the research undertaken and its results to get the full benefit of the material present.
How people engage with new technologies has been subject to much academic attention. One of the most widely used models to emerge from this work is the technology acceptance model (TAM). This framework incorporates two components, namely, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, and has been mainly deployed to measure acceptance of technology in workplace contexts. To what degree someone feels that technology will improve job performance is indicated by perceived usefulness, whereas perceived ease of use is concerned with the effort needed to use the technology.
Because TAM thus focuses on cognitive responses, some analysts argue that the model should incorporate affect to be more suitable for a consumer context. That affect is seen as an important factor in consumer adoption of technology provides the rationale here. The consumer acceptance of technology (CAT), which includes affect, is therefore proposed.
Extant literature also suggests that adoption might be considerably influenced by “self-efficacy”. The concept emerged a few decades ago and has since been applied in a wide range of contexts including organizational behavior, psychology and online shopping to name but a few.
Self-efficacy refers to a person’s belief in their capability to perform specific tasks or use their skills to behave in a certain way. It is felt that this belief exercises a significant impact on an individual’s self-motivation toward the task and the outcome of it. Studies have found that people use these personal beliefs about their own skills to decide which activities to embark on and to determine the degree of “effort and persistence” they will use in their attempts. Because new technology is often inherently complex, various researchers purport that confidence in one’s own ability shapes how individuals will respond both cognitively and emotionally to any challenges that innovations might present.
Exponents of TAM claim that technology acceptance is also likely to be determined by external factors at individual or organizational level. There is evidence to suggest that self-efficacy might be a key external factor. The rationale behind this assumption is that someone with high levels of self-efficacy in relation to technology would become more positive toward adopting it. Research pertaining to computer usage offers support for such claims.
Similar work has found that computer self-efficacy positively impacts on the expected outcomes of using the technology. Outcome expectations are regarded as comparable with perceived usefulness. It is consequently suggested that individuals with high self-efficacy in respect of new technology are likelier to expect advantages from using the innovation. Belief likewise exists that self-efficacy also functions as a determinant of perceived ease of use and researchers have found this to positively influence adoption and usage of technology within organizational settings.
Research into technology usage by consumers provides further corroboration of self-efficacy’s favorable effect on usage. Lower resistance to technological innovations among individuals scoring high in self-efficacy has also been reported. Because such people appeared likelier to try out new innovations, it is proposed that opinions about technology use become more positive as self-efficacy increases.
There is firm conviction that any intention to use a new technology will be influenced by affect as well as cognition. As people tend to relish activities that feel more competent in, it is assumed that self-efficacy has a role to play where affect is concerned. The positive correlation between high self-efficacy and the likes of fun and enjoyment is confirmed in different studies. Feeling capable of performing a task stimulates interest, which, in turn, makes the individual become more emotionally aroused.
Several scholars have commented on the relevance of self-efficacy to the “dominance” component of affect. There is evidence to show that people perceive a greater degree of control over a performance when self-efficacy is high. Competence is important when performing a task and people feel anxious when they perceive that it is lacking. Plenty evidence exists to show that self-efficacy, along with such as ability and experience, helps to diminish such concerns.
The issues were explored in a study involving students attending a leading university in Midwestern USA. Most respondents were aged between 21 and 30 years, with females accounting for 52 per cent of the 230 strong final sample. A tablet device was chosen for the study after a pretest indicated the product was both high technology and innovative. Students were seen as a “credible target market” for this innovation.
Participants were asked to perform utilitarian and hedonic tasks. The former required them to find contact details using the tablet’s address book to schedule a meeting. For the hedonic task, the students watched a movie clip. Self-perceptions of their capabilities in using the tablet were used to measure self-efficacy.
Analysis of the results revealed that higher levels of consumer self-efficacy relating to a high level technological innovation will increase their perceptions that the specific technology will be useful and easy to use, feelings of arousal when using the product and sense of being in control when adopting the product.
In addition, it was confirmed that cognition and affect represented by the above factors fully mediate the relationship between self-efficacy and attitude towards adoption.
Kulviwat predicted that self-efficacy would influence arousal, but this was not evident. He offers the explanation that arousal might not actually emerge when people are extremely confident about performing a specific task. The conclusion from this is that the relationship is linear and arousal levels only rise to a certain point. The author also suggests that the anticipated link might have been more evident among subjects who were less familiar with technology or if tasks had been regarded as more exciting. Future research might re-examine this relationship.
Practitioners are reminded that consumer markets incorporate varying levels of self-efficacy, thus meaning different strategies should be deployed. In the opinion of Kulviwat, targeting those considered to be high in self-efficacy should be the initial focus. It is likely that innovators and people interested in gadgets might comprise this group. With belief in their own capabilities already strong, the aim is to persuade them that the product is useful and easy to use.
For those whose self-efficacy is moderate at best, stronger emphasis on the product being “straightforward and painless” to use is recommended. The author suggests incorporating testimonials from existing consumers similar to those in the target market into advertisements and point-of-sale displays. Another idea is to provide visual proof of these claims through in-store demonstrations, commercials and Web sites. Manuals, technical support, training sessions, and interactive apps are possible ways to help consumers without the necessary ability to use the product. However, it may be too costly for any single company to provide the needed education.
Additional work could ascertain factors which positively impact on consumer perceptions of their ability, particularly with regard to overcoming anxiety associated with technology usage. Exploring technology acceptance and anxiety levels among different demographic groups is another possibility that could identify ways to increase self-efficacy. Kulviwat notes the varying importance of cognition and affect and suggests further work to identify if individual, product or task-related factors impact on the relationship between these constructs.
To read the full article enter 10.1108/JCM-10-2013-0727 into your search engine.
(A précis of the article “Self-efficacy as an antecedent of cognition and affect in technology acceptance”. Supplied by Marketing Consultants for Emerald.)