مدلسازی اکتشافی مجازی و پویایی های خرید : رویکرد روانشناسی محیطی

A huge amount of research in academia and industry has focused on the hardware and technological side of information systems, while the role of emotions in the way these systems are utilized has been largely neglected. However, recent developments in other disciplines have suggested that emotions play a significant role in decision-making. To address this state of affairs, this study draws upon hypotheses from environmental psychology; specifically, that users’ tendencies to approach or avoid environments are modeled on the basis of user reaction to the information load of a virtual environment and the emotions that such an environment elicits. A field experiment was conducted in which users visited popular shopping websites. The work demonstrated how information load and emotions influence virtual exploratory and shopping decisions.

Much research in the past ignored the role of emotions and how they affect purchasing decisions. However, in other disciplines have suggested that emotions, reason, and quality of information all play a major role in the decision-making process (e.g. see [1], [25] and [31]). To address this state of affairs, this study draws upon hypotheses from Mehrabian and Russell’s [26] environmental psychology approach; specifically, this states that users’ tendencies to approach or avoid environments are modeled on the basis of their reaction to the information load of the virtual shopping environment and the emotions that this environment elicits. Thus, the following three issues jointly determine the users’ desires to use the web: • The differences between individuals and the way their interest is stimulated on-line (by inspiring “arousal seeking tendencies”). • The information characteristics of virtual shopping environments (the information available). • The emotions experienced in using the environments. The environmental psychology approach has been widely used to examine traditional shopping dynamics (e.g. [8], [13] and [39]). The application of this approach to virtual on-line shopping demands revision of the theoretical framework and empirical examination of shopper behavior to take into account the distinguishing characteristics of the virtual environment. 1. Users not only search the web for specific information, they also surf it for entertainment, stimulation, and to socialize. These are all important aspects of on-line shopping dynamics [11], [27] and [38]. 2. Virtual on-line shopping environments are more technically complex and information-intensive than traditional ones. This influences the extent to which on-line users perceive themselves to be able to dominate their interaction with the environments they encounter. Dominance, one of the emotional dimensions specified in the environmental psychology model, has been found to have significant impact on users’ behavioral decisions.

The study contributes to our understanding of virtual exploratory and shopping dynamics by empirically examining the Mehrabian–Russell environmental psychology model in the virtual shopping environment. It demonstrates that both information and emotion play significant roles in users’ virtual shopping decisions. When the information load of a virtual environment is maintained at a level that elicits pleasure, users will tend to explore and shop. Alternatively, a virtual environment full of surprises and changing activities that excite users will tend to solicit on-line transactions.