TY - JOUR
T1 - Mere presence, gender, and reactions to computers
T2 - Studying human-computer interaction in the social context
AU - Robinson-Staveley, Kris
AU - Cooper, Joel
N1 - Funding Information:
This paper is based in part on a master’s thesis submitted by the first author. Preparation of this article was supported in part by a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship to the first author, and in part by a McDonnell Foundation grant to the second author. Requests for reprints should be sent to Joel Cooper, Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544.
Copyright:
Copyright 2014 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 1990/3
Y1 - 1990/3
N2 - The effects of mere presence, expectations for success, gender, and level of computer experience on reactions to computers were examined. In Study 1, 80 male and female college students completed a difficult computer task and a series of questionnaires in the presence or absence of another person. Men and women were differentially affected by the presence of another person. For women with little previous computer experience, those who worked in the presence of another performed less well, expressed more negative attitudes toward computers, and reported higher anxiety than did women who worked alone. For men, mere presence had the opposite effect. Performance and reactions of subjects high in computer experience were unaffected by gender or mere presence. In Study 2, expectations for success were manipulated, and interacted with the presence of another person, resulting in facilitation for positive expectancy subjects and impairment for negative expectancy subjects, relative to those working alone. Men and women were not differentially affected by the presence of another person. Gender differences in expectations for success seem to have determined whether mere presence resulted in facilitation or impairment effects.
AB - The effects of mere presence, expectations for success, gender, and level of computer experience on reactions to computers were examined. In Study 1, 80 male and female college students completed a difficult computer task and a series of questionnaires in the presence or absence of another person. Men and women were differentially affected by the presence of another person. For women with little previous computer experience, those who worked in the presence of another performed less well, expressed more negative attitudes toward computers, and reported higher anxiety than did women who worked alone. For men, mere presence had the opposite effect. Performance and reactions of subjects high in computer experience were unaffected by gender or mere presence. In Study 2, expectations for success were manipulated, and interacted with the presence of another person, resulting in facilitation for positive expectancy subjects and impairment for negative expectancy subjects, relative to those working alone. Men and women were not differentially affected by the presence of another person. Gender differences in expectations for success seem to have determined whether mere presence resulted in facilitation or impairment effects.
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U2 - 10.1016/0022-1031(90)90074-V
DO - 10.1016/0022-1031(90)90074-V
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:38249019429
SN - 0022-1031
VL - 26
SP - 168
EP - 183
JO - Journal of Experimental Social Psychology
JF - Journal of Experimental Social Psychology
IS - 2
ER -