Behavioral beliefs-perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use-have been identified as the most influential antecedents of individuals' information systems use intentions and behaviors within the technology acceptance model. However, little research has been aimed at investigating the implicit (automatic or unconscious) determinants of such cognitive beliefs, and more importantly, the potential nonlinear relationships of such antecedents with explicit (perceptual) ones. As such, this paper theorizes that implicit neurophysiological states-memory load and distraction- and explicit-engagement and frustration-antecedents interact in the formation of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. To test the study's hypotheses, we conducted an experiment that measured neurophysiological states while individuals worked on instrumental and hedonic tasks using technology. The results show that, as theorized, implicit and explicit constructs interact together, and thus have a nonlinear effect on behavioral beliefs. Specifically, when engagement is high, neurophysiological distraction does not statistically significantly affect perceived usefulness, whereas when engagement is low, neurophysiological distraction has a negative and significant effect on usefulness. The results also show that when frustration is high, neurophysiological memory load has a negative effect on perceived ease of use, whereas when it is low, neurophysiological memory load has a positive effect on perceived ease of use. This study makes several contributions to acceptance research and the emerging field of NeuroIS, including demonstration of the importance of emotional perceptions for moderating the effects of neurophysiological states on behavioral beliefs.
Despite the importance of online product recommendations (OPRs) in e-commerce transactions, there is still little understanding about how different recommendation sources affect consumers' beliefs and behavior, and whether these effects are additive, complementary, or rivals for different types of products. This study investigates the differential effects of provider recommendations (PRs) and consumer reviews (CRs) on the instrumental, affective, and trusting dimensions of consumer beliefs and shows how these beliefs ultimately influence continued OPR usage and product purchase intentions. This study tests a conceptual model linking PRs and CRs to four consumer beliefs (perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, perceived affective quality, and trust) in two different product settings (search products versus experience products). Results of an experimental study show that users of PRs express significantly higher perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use than users of CRs, while users of CRs express higher trusting beliefs and perceived affective quality than users of PRs, resulting in different effect mechanisms toward OPR reuse and purchase intentions in e-commerce transactions. Further, CRs were found to elicit higher perceived usefulness, trusting beliefs, and perceived affective quality for experience goods, while PRs were found to unfold higher effects on all of these variables for search goods.
Empirical results both from information technology acceptance research as well as from other fields suggest that attitude and subjective norms may have a nonlinear relationship. Based on the economic theory of complementarities, the present paper hypothesizes a substitution relationship or negative synergy between attitude and subjective norms in organizational IT use contexts. Employing two methods for modeling and measuring nonlinear effects of latent constructs, as well as two approaches for visualizing and interpreting interaction and quadratic terms, structural equation modeling analysis of data collected from 258 users of a variety of IT applications in 14 organizations provides support for the hypothesis that attitude and subjective norms were substitutes in predicting intention to use.
Despite calls for improving current approaches to conceptualizing and measuring the construct of information system use, theoretical advances in this regard are still insufficient. The present paper proposes to expand the focus of existing conceptualizations that exclusively focus on technology interaction behaviors via the construct of IS use-related activity. Based on task-technology fit and activity theory, IS use-related activity is conceptualized as a second-order aggregate construct that comprises both technology interaction behaviors, as well as activities users undertake to adapt the task-technology-individual system. A multiple-indicators and multiple-causes analysis of data collected from 190 users in 21 organizations is found to support the proposed conceptualization.