Effects of computer experience and task complexity on attitudes of managers

Attitudes of managers toward computers are important determinates of behavior that may influence both utilization of and satisfaction with information systems. A laboratory experiment was conducted to study the relationship between task complexity and attitudes of 64 managers who were classified according to their computer experience. Participants completed both pretest attitude and compter familiarity instruments. The experimental session required participants to complete either a simple or complex task in a controlled laboratory environment using an interactive application on a terminal device connected to a mainframe computer. Following the experimental session, participants immediately completed a posttest attitude instrument. Attitude shift as a consequence of usage did not occur. Results indicate that managers have a positive attitude toward using computers regardless of computer familiarity and these attitudes do not change as a function of manipulating the task complexity dimension. Results also suggest that organizations should provide managers with increased opportunities for further usage and training. The complexity of computer tasks should be of concern to systems designers but may not have immediate effect on user attitudes.