Attitudes Towards Computer In An Information-Intense Environment: A Field Study Of The Insurance Industry

Abstract

The topic of human attitudes about computers has been dealt with extensively in both the academic and popular literature, but it remains an issue of importance.  The continued relevance was well illustrated by the Soviet chess grandmaster, Karpov, who recently remarked that he was not afraid to lose a chess game to a computer, but that people who worked with such computers could lose their soul to the machines (Hooper, 1990).  The beliefs which people hold toward computers will affect their computer interaction and their willingness to adapt to automated systems:  therefore the issue is of great practical importance.  This paper reports on a replication of an early IBM study with the intent of assessing contemporary attitudes towards computers and the changes in attitudes over the last 25 years.