From TVs to Phones: A Comparison of Adults' Mental Models of Computers in 1999 and 2009

Abstract

The mental models that participants had about the common technological device of a computer were examined in 1999 and 2009. The participants were prompted with the question "What is like a computer?" in order to generate analogies that were used to access their mental models. Results indicated that more analogies were generated in 1999 rather than 2009. In addition there was a reduction in the amount of analogies generated by males. The top popular analogies produced in 1999 and 2009 were found to be different. These results suggest that the general knowledge base people have about computers has shifted in the past decade. Further, the individual differences that one has may impact their beliefs and knowledge about computers.