The Development and Validation of the Computer Apathy and Anxiety Scale

Abstract

A new computer attitudes scale entitled The Computer Apathy and Anxiety Scale is presented. The scale is shown to have a stable factor structure, and consists of three subscales, interpreted as Computer Apathy, Computer Anxiety, and Societal Overemphasis of Computers. The first of these reflects a behavioral component, the second an affective component and the third a cognitive component. It is argued that the constructs of computer apathy and anxiety are highly related, but distinct. Possible uses of the scale are discussed in the context of a brief review of the literature on computer anxiety and computer dependency, the emphasis being on gender-related issues.