Chapter 5 Practice Quiz

The Adoption and Diffusion of Technological Innovations
. The most influential researcher in the diffusion of innovations literature is ________, a rural sociologist who wrote The Diffusion of Innovations.

. One of the main criticisms of early models of the diffusion of innovations was that ________.

. Pottery has several independent origins of invention throughout history because ________.

. The first few centuries of Japan's relationship with guns are a good example of ________.

. For Rogers, the concepts of uncertainty and ________ are central to the diffusion process.

. The innovation-decision process occurs in this order: ________.

. When deciding on whether or not to adopt an innovation, people are strongly influenced by ________.

. Fitbits and similar tracking tools have become very trendy. In a study of the effects of trackers on weight loss, the key finding was:

. ________ describes the level of proficiency needed to comprehend the workings of an innovation and its ease of use.

. Observability provides potential adopters with the possibility ________.

. The most common form of communication employed about an innovation, and not as effective as other communication channels, is ________.

. One type of knowledge not relevant to the knowledge stage of the innovation-decision process is ________.

. During the persuasion stage, many potential adopters decide to ________.

. An example of "trial by others" would be ________.

. If researchers do not consider discontinuance, conclusions about acceptance rates of an innovation may be ________.

. AI assistants such as Alexa are becoming more widely used in homes. One aspect of their adoption and diffusion that is considered a potential drawback is ________.

. An adopter who acts as an interconnector is likely to be a part of this adopter group: _______.

. The very first adopters of a new innovation are called ________.

. Laggards are characterized as ________.

. Many recent technologies, such as the Segway, have been rejected primarily because of factors such as cost, incompatibility with other accepted technologies, or ________.

. When an individual decides to start using an innovation to achieve a specific goal, this is referred to as "diffusion."

. According to Diamond, innovations are rarely developed locally.

. A society's likelihood to adopt a new technology depends largely on where they are geographically located and how well-connected they are to neighbouring social groups.

. The early adopter group is the largest category in Rogers' model of the diffusion of innovations.

. Information is not relevant to the success or failure of a new technology.

. Rogers diffusion of innovations theory is detailed at the individual level, but it falls short when it describes the innovation-decision process within organizations.

. The diffusion of an innovation primarily depends on one factor, namely the superiority of the innovation in comparison to an existing innovation.

. Superclusters are innovations made of many technological components that all work together.

. Complexity describes the level of proficiency needed to comprehend the workings of a technology and its ease of use.

. One of the reasons that interpersonal channels are more effective is that a large number of individuals are not exposed to the mass media and/or are less interested in technology.

. Research in the diffusion of innovations is very similar to other areas of research in the social sciences in terms of its emphasis on time.

. During the persuasion stage of the innovation-decision process, potential adopters seek out information in a very active manner.

. The diffusion of technological innovation is a linear, rational process.

. The individuals who are in the early majority adopter group play an important gatekeeping role in the diffusion of innovations process.

. Analysts pay a lot of attention to their early adopters because they understand that having critical mass is central to the adoption of any innovation.

Back to top