Development and Validation of a Scale of Automation-Induced “Complacency”

Abstract

In the present studies, a scale was developed for measuring attitudes toward automation technology that reflect a potential for complacency. In the first, developmental study, a 20-item questionnaire consisting of statements concerning various aspects of automation was administered to 139 undergraduates at Catholic University. Factor analysis of the complacency potential rating scale (CPRS) revealed five independent factors, namely: general, confidence- reliance-, trust-, and safety-related complacency. The internal consistency reliability coefficients of the five factors and the scale as a whole were found to be high, and the scales revealed satisfactory test-retest reliabilities. The pattern of correlations among CPRS score, age, gender, computer use, and computer experience were consistent with previous studies examining attitudes toward microcomputer usage (Igbaria and Parasuraman, 1991). In the second, validation study, the 20-item CPRS was cross-validated on a sample of 175 undergraduate students at Drexel University. Factor analysis similarly revealed five factors with high alphas. The results indicate that the potential for complacency can be evaluated by assessing attitudes towards automation technology.

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