COMPUTER ANXIETY AND ALIENATION - TOWARD A DEFINITIVE AND PARSIMONIOUS MEASURE

An attempt is made to construct a useful and theoretically sound scale that can be used in future research to measure computer user anxiety and alienation. Because the measurement of either alienation or anxiety often produces similar results, the authors present a concise and reliable measure that is a synthesis of the two constructs. Findings show no differences attributable to age or sex but that number of years of computer experience is a significant indicator of the measure. The scale reported here has been successfully used to predict students' grades in computer-related classes and the level of satisfaction students have with their computer experiences.