Examining the Relationships Among Personality Traits, IT-specific Traits, and Perceived Ease of Use

Abstract

The ease of use perception of an information technology has been shown to be an important factor in technology acceptance. This study extends prior research by presenting and testing a new theoretical model of the determinants of perceived ease of use by linking personality traits and IT-specific traits to the ease of use perception. Specifically, our research model theorizes that two broad traits of personality from the Big Five taxonomy, openness to experience and emotional stability, influence the perception of ease of use via three IT-specific traits: personal innovativeness in the domain of information technology (PIIT), computer anxiety, and computer playfulness. The research model was tested using PLS on data from a cross-sectional survey of 111 new users of a spreadsheet software package. The findings indicate a strong effect of openness to experience on PIIT and confirm PIIT as particularly important in influencing computer anxiety, compute playfulness, and perceived ease of use.