Propositions of the Theory of Technology Dominance

My research at the University of Queensland is examining the theory of technology dominance, as set out in Arnold & Sutton (1998).

This theory sets out to explain three things:

  1. Factors that determine the likelihood that a decision maker will choose to rely on an available decision aid
  2. Conditions under which a decision maker using an intelligent decision aid is susceptible to dominance by the technology
  3. Long-term impact of intelligent decision aid use on de-skilling domain experts and impeding epistemological evolution

This theory has eight essential propositions:

  • Proposition One: At low to moderate level of experience, there is a negative relationship between task experience and reliance on a decision aid
  • Proposition Two: Positive relationship between task complexity and reliance on a decision aid
  • Proposition Three: Positive relationship between decision aid familiarity and reliance on the decision aid
  • Proposition Four: Positive relationship between cognitive fit and reliance on the decision aid.

Further, the theory, relating to the susceptibility of a user to dominance by technology, sets out two propositions:

  • Proposition Five: When the expertise of the user and intelligent decision aid are mismatched, there is a negative relationship between the user’s expertise level and the risk of poor decision making
  • Proposition Six: When the expertise level of the user and intelligent decision aid are matched, there is a positive relationship between reliance on the aid and improved decision making

And finally, the theory of technology dominance considers the long-term effects of dominance by intelligent technologies through the following two propositions:

  • Proposition Seven: There is a positive relationship between continued use of an intelligent decision aid and the de-skilling of knowledge workers’ abilities for the domain in which the aid is used
  • Proposition Eight: There is a negative relationship between the broad-based, long term use of an intelligent decision aid in a given problem domain and the growth in knowledge and advancement of the domain

Diagrammatically:

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