Abstract
Two aspects of the extent of computer use—the number of applications to which the computer is put and the frequency of computer use—are investigated in relation to adaptive-innovative cognitive style and personal involvement in computing. The number of computing applications taken up is related on a priori grounds to sensation-seeking, a personality trait which has been consistently associated with both the Kirton Adaption-Innovation Inventory and with consumers' exploratory behavior. Described are two studies of the extent of computer use in (i) home computing and (ii) task-oriented computing by graduate business students. The number of applications employed by home computer owners was weakly related to both adaptive-innovative cognitive style and to personal involvement in computing. The study of students' behavior shows again that scores on both inventories are related to the extent of computer use but that, while Kirton inventory scores are uniquely associated with the number of computer applications used, Personal Involvement scores are uniquely associated with the frequency of computer usage.
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