DUCES, BRIGITTE; PHD
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND COLLEGE PARK, 1985
INFORMATION SCIENCE (0723)
The purpose of this dissertation is to study the role of information in decisionmaking
as exemplified in the
adoption of agricultural innovations. The specific objectives are (1) To test
and refine a descriptive model
of the decision process in the adoption of innovations based on Rogers and Shoemaker
(1971). (2) To
test and refine a typology of agricultural innovations. Data were collected
through 24 case studies in
different counties across the U.S. A case study consisted of on-site visits
of one week with interviews of
6-7 innovators, 2-3 non-innovators, and 2-10 change agents. Data were analyzed
through two
complementary methods: statistical tests of hypothesis and content analysis
of the interview
descriptions. The statistical analysis saw no conclusive trends emerging; the
innovations studied are too
dissimilar in nature and the phenomena behave differently depending on the cases.
The content
analysis identified relevant variables and lead to a typology of innovations
based on their difficulty, as
determined by the degree of consonance between the innovator's values and those
of the innovation,
together with the degree of continuity between the innovator's previous practices
and those required by
the innovation. A statistical analysis that controls for type produces better
results: Innovations with a high
degree of consonance of value are adopted without extensive amounts of information.
Innovations with
both high dissonance and discontinuity are adopted only when forced (as by law)
or after processing
extensive amounts of information, particularly from trusted sources. These results
suggest that the
nature of the decision problem is of paramount importance in analyzing the decision
process and that the
search for all-encompassing general patterns may not lead very far. The practical
implications of these
results are that dissonant innovations require a well-orchestrated information
effort on the part of the
change agents. On the other hand, highly consonant innovations require minimal
effort in information
provision.
Social
Systems Simulation Group
P.O. Box 6904 San Diego, CA 92166-0904 Roland Werner, Principal Phone/FAX (619) 660-1603 |