Order Online or Call it in? Conceptualization and Measurement of Preferences for Computer versus Human Interaction

Area of Science:

• Consumer Psychology
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Marketing Science

Background:

• Technology integration reshapes social interactions and consumer behavior analysis.
• Existing measures for consumer/user preferences have conceptual and empirical limitations.
• Understanding human-computer interaction is crucial for predicting consumer decisions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a scale measuring preference for computer versus human interaction (PCHI).
• To assess the scale's ability to predict consumer decisions beyond existing measures.
• To provide a brief instrument for practitioners in marketing and user experience.

Main Methods:

• Development and validation of the 10-item Preference for Computer versus Human Interaction (PCHI) scale.
• Utilized three distinct samples for robust validation.
• Incorporated items comparing computers and humans across social, consumer, and human factors psychology domains.

Main Results:

• The PCHI scale demonstrated a robust three-factor structure: efficiency, ease of use, and trust.
• The scale effectively predicts everyday consumer decisions, outperforming existing measures.
• Validation across diverse samples confirmed the scale's reliability and utility.

Conclusions:

• The PCHI scale is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring preferences in human-computer interaction.
• The scale's findings on efficiency, ease of use, and trust offer insights into consumer behavior.
• Practitioners can use the PCHI scale for targeted interventions and attitude modeling in technology adoption.