The effects of Need for Cognition on Internet use revisited

摘要

The Internet is the biggest information carrier of our times. However, there is little understanding of the interaction between the different behaviors of the various Internet users, and the variety of ways in which information in the Internet should be presented. This work continues previous research [Amichai-Hamburger, Y., Kaynar, O., & Fine, A. (2005). The effects of need for cognition on Internet use. Unpublished manuscript.] that examined the preferences of participants with varying level of Need for Cognition (NFC) [Cacioppo, J. T., & Petty, R. E. (1982). The need for cognition. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 42, 116-131.] in internet sites varying in their interactivity. This article seeks to broaden the understanding of the behavior of people varying in NFC outside of research situations. We hypothesized that people high in NFC will use information services in the Internet relatively more than those with a low NFC. Furthermore, we hypothesized that people with a high NFC will perceive the informational characteristics of a website as the most important in the creation of a successful and convincing Internet site. Fifty experienced Web surfers filled out an Internet uses questionnaire in which they stated the amount of time they spend per week in 30 different Internet services. This data was later submitted to a Factor Analysis which revealed three major uses: professional, social and leisure. The participants filled out also a preferences questionnaire in which they stated their perceived importance of different characteristics in the creation of a successful and persuasive Internet site. Results support our hypothesis regarding the correlation between NFC and professional services use, and the perceived importance of information in creating a persuasive site. Several other findings are also discussed.