Investigating the effect of the degree of newness of a discontinuous technological innovation on individuals' judgments

During the last decade, rapid and radical technological developments have spurred the rate of emergence of discontinuous technological innovations. In the marketing literature there is a steadily growing stream of research on high-technology markets. Despite the increasing interest in this area, however, there is very little research on consumer behavior in high-technology markets, and especially on individuals' responses to discontinuous technological innovations. Both theoretical and empirical work in consumer behavior has mainly involved product categories that are relatively continuous or "technology neutral". This research proposes a theoretical framework for classifying technological innovations and identifying discontinuous technological innovations based on individuals' perceptions of the degree of newness of the innovation. Next, a number of hypotheses are developed to investigate individuals' responses to discontinuous technological innovations. Specifically, this research examines the impact of the degree of newness of a discontinuous technological innovation on individuals' judgments about the value and the performance uncertainty associated with the innovation. Two studies were designed to test our hypotheses. The results support our hypothesized effects. Collectively, the two studies provide insights into (1) the effect of the degree of newness of a discontinuous technological innovation on individuals' judgments about the innovation, and (2) the processes that underlie the obtained effects. The dissertation concludes with a discussion of the theoretical and managerial implications of the research findings and directions for future research.