Information Technology Reference
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It is noteworthy that both trait variables are IT-specific; that is, they are defined specifically for
the IT-related situations. The studies we are aware of yield another two trait variables that are
more general: negative affectivity, which is an aspect of neuroticism and is a broad stable trait that
influences individuals' emotions and behavior (Thatcher and Perrewe, 2002), and trait anxiety,
which refers to a general tendency to experience anxiety when confronted with problems or chal-
lenges (Thatcher and Perrewe, 2002). In their empirical study, Thatcher and Perrewe (2002) failed
to confirm negative affectivity's influence on computer anxiety, giving rise to speculations that a
broadly conceptualized trait such as neuroticism or extraversion may exert a less pervasive influ-
ence on situational individual difference than do situation-specific traits (Thatcher and Perrewe,
2002; Webster and Martocchio, 1992). Therefore, for the purpose of this study, we use IT-specific
traits instead of general personality variables as trait indicators.
Affective Reactions
Although they have different names, the above concepts share some common characteristics; that
is, they all have to do with perceived impact on users' core affect.
Computer anxiety is one of the relatively frequently studied affective reactions toward using IT.
It is a “state anxiety,” with the computer, or, more generally, information technology representing
a personally threatening stimulus (Coffin and MacIntyre, 1999). Computer anxiety is proposed and
confirmed to be important in forming users' behavioral intention or actual behavioral (Brosnan,
1999; Compeau and Higgins, 1995; Compeau et al., 1999) and cognitive reactions (e.g., Brosnan,
1999; Hackbarth et al., 2003; Venkatesh, 2000).
Flow represents an affective state, characterized by feelings of control, attention focus, and
curiosity and intrinsic interest (Trevino and Webster, 1992). A person experiencing flow is moti-
vated more by intrinsic needs than by extrinsic rewards. In contrast to those motivated by extrin-
sic rewards, individuals experiencing flow state focus more on the process than on the outcomes.
Flow is a multi-dimensional construct. Some researchers have defined it as possessing three
dimensions—control, concentration, and enjoyment (e.g., Csikszentmihalyi, 1975; Csikszentmihalyi,
1988; Ghani et al., 1991; Trevino and Webster, 1992; Webster et al., 1993). Other researchers,
however, have proposed different dimensions of flow (e.g., Trevino and Webster, 1992). None-
theless, two dimensions, enjoyment and concentration, have been the cores of any flow definition.
More explicitly, Ghani and Deshpande (1994) argued that two key characteristics of flow are:
(1) total concentration on an activity; and (2) the enjoyment one derives from the activity. In the
IT context or in computer-mediated environments, flow has been found to lead to increased com-
munication, exploratory behavior, learning, positive affect, increased computer use, etc.
(Finneran and Zhang, 2005; Finneran and Zhang, 2003).
A similar concept is cognitive absorption, referring to a state of deep involvement with IT
(Agarwal and Karahanna, 2000). Five dimensions of cognitive absorption have been identified: tem-
poral dissociation, focused immersions, heightened enjoyment, control, and curiosity. Compared
with flow, cognitive absorption includes all the three dimensions of flow, enjoyment, concentration,
and control. Researchers also noticed this overlap and viewed cognitive absorption as a “state of
flow” (Agarwal and Karahanna, 2000).
Another set of affective reaction variables consists of perceived enjoyment and other similar
concepts such as perceived fun (Brosnan, 1999; Igbaria et al., 1996), physical arousal and affec-
tive reward (Reinig et al., 1996), positive mood (Martocchio, 1992), computer liking (Al-Khaldi
and Al-Jabri, 1998), perceived affective quality of IT (Zhang and Li, 2004), and affect (Cheung,
2000).
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