Using the Keyboard to Issue Commands: The Relation of Observing Others Using Efficient Techniques on the Weightings of Costs and Benefits

Abstract

Previous research by Peres et al. (2004) and Peres et al. (2005) have suggested people's analysis of the costs and benefits of using efficient techniques may influence whether or not they use those techniques. These studies also suggested that social factors (e.g., observing others) play an additional role in the usage of these techniques. The present study examined the impact of observing efficient techniques on users' weighing of the costs and benefits of using the Keyboard to Issue Commands (KIC) as an efficient technique. The results suggest that people more heavily weigh the benefits of using KIC than the costs, but that there appears to be no relation between people's weightings of the costs and benefits of using KIC and whether they had observed someone using KIC.

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