PU505 Health Behavior Unit 9 Diffusion of Innovation

Question 1

What is the essence sentence of diffusion of innovation?

Answer 1

Behavior changes as innovations are adopted.

Question 2

What are the constructs of diffusion of innovation or DoI? (4)

Answer 2

Innovation
Communication channels
Social System
Time

Question 3

What is the theory of diffusion of innovation rooted in?

Answer 3

Rural sociology

Its development began in the 1920s with research supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to determine the effectiveness of the different methods used to inform farmers of new (innovative) farming practices (Wilson, 1927). This research continued into the 1930s with studies on how a variety of other innovations (postage stamps, limits on municipal taxation rates, and compulsory school laws) were shared and eventually accepted (Pemberton, 1936; Valente & Rogers, 1995).

Question 4

What is the process by which new ideas (innovations) are disseminated (diffused) and adopted by a society?

Answer 4

Diffusion of innovation!

As new ideas are adopted and integrated into the society–that is, as they become the norm–behavior changes.

Question 5

What are the four main constructs of diffusion of innovation again?

Answer 5

The innovation, the channels through which it is communicated, time, and the social system.

Question 6

What is something a person perceives as new or novel, whether it is a device, a practice or an idea?

Answer 6

An innovation.

For example, you may not perceive texting as an innovation, but chances are your grandparents do.

Question 7

What are the certain characteristics of the innovation itself that helps with the diffusion and ultimate acceptance (or rejection)? (5)

Answer 7

Advantage - over what is already available

Trialability - on a limited basis

Compatibility - with social norms and values

Observable - results

Complexity - minimal (easy of use)

Innovations with these characteristics are adopted quickly and more rapidly than those without them.

In the past, pedometers, contact lenses, etc. were emerging innovations that are a part of people’s lives now. Electric cars are going through this phase now.

Question 8

What is the strongest predictor of the rate at which an innovation will be adopted throughout the social system?

Answer 8

Perceived relative advantage

Question 9

Continued information on Relative advantage

Answer 9

N/A

Question 10

What is the degree to which an innovation can be experimented with or used on a limited basis, in installments, or a little at a time?

Answer 10

Trialability

Lol, attachment is talking about Costco.

Question 11

More on Trialability

Answer 11

Question 12

What refers to the degree to which it is consistent with the existing values, needs, and experiences of a potential adopter?

Answer 12

Compatibility

Incompatibility with any or all of these can interfere with an innovations adoption.

Adoption of m-Health in Sri Lanka was impacted by its incompatibility with the country’s public health system and free care. If it were adopted, then people who did not have or could not afford a cell phone or other mobile device would not have access to care (Han, 2019).

Question 13

More information on compatibility

Answer 13

N/A

Question 14

What is the degree to which the results of the innovation can be seen by others or described to others?

Answer 14

Observability

If the results are easy to see or describe, the innovation is more likely to be adopted.

Think about Botox®, tattoos, breast implants, self-tanners, and body piercing. Observability may explain why these have become so widely adopted. Observability drives the diet industry, the cosmetic industry, and the automotive industry. People try new diets, cosmetics, and cars (think electric cars) because the results of using them are noticeable.

Hayden, Joanna. Introduction to Health Behavior Theory (p. 497). Jones & Bartlett Learning. Kindle Edition.

Question 15

What has the greatest influence on trialability?

Answer 15

Observation has the greatest influence on trialability

This is important for mobile apps

Question 16

What refers to how difficult or complicated an innovation is to understand and use?

Answer 16

Complexity

The more complex, the less likely it is to be adopted or even tried.

Question 17

What is the most significantly related variable in the prediction of the adoption of sustainable practices?

Answer 17

Ease of use or complexity

Question 18

What is the active sharing or communication of information among people?

Answer 18

Diffusion.

It is a social process; people talking to one another about a new idea, product, tool, food, and so on.

Question 19

What is how word of an innovation spreads?

Answer 19

Communication channel

Question 20

What is the most effective and rapids means of communicating something new?

Answer 20

Through mass media

It’s a one-way communication channel that can very quickly make a huge audience aware of a new product or idea. Mass media includes television, newspapers, magazines, radio, movies, and the internet.

Hayden, Joanna. Introduction to Health Behavior Theory (pp. 503-504). Jones & Bartlett Learning. Kindle Edition.

Question 21

More information on Communication Channels

Question 22

What commodity is ALWAYS used when anticipating a social system to adopt or reject an innovation through the result of the innovation-decision process? This process follows a sequence of steps that include knowledge, persuasion, decision, implementation, and confirmation.

Answer 22

Time.

Question 23

What consists of the sequence of steps within the innovation-decision process? (5) KPDIC

Answer 23

Knowledge - Having knowledge or knowing about the innovation is the first step in the innovation-decision process and occurs when a person becomes aware that an innovation exists and understands how it works.

Persuasion - In this stage, people develop an attitude (positive or negative) towards the innovation and this comes from having knowledge or information about the innovation. Once information is obtained, they mentally apply it to a present or future situation.

Decision - Once people have knowledge and an attitude toward the innovation, they engage in activities that result in their decision to adopt or reject the innovation. This is similar to decisional balance in the Transtheoretical Model.

Implementation - This stage occurs when the innovation has been tried. Obviously, before people can adopt something new, they have to try it to see if they like it.

Confirmation - Sometimes the innovation-decision is completed once the decision is made to either adopt or reject the innovation. Other times, when the decision is made to adopt, people need reinforcement or confirmation from others that it was a good decision.

Question 24

What is a bell-shaped curve that sorts people into the following five categories such as innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggards?

Answer 24

The adoption curve which is the rate at which different segments or the population adopt an innovation.

These segments reflect the amount of time it takes people to adopt an innovation. Placement on the curve depends on a number of characteristics, such as comfort with risk taking, socioeconomic status, extent of social networks, and leadership. Where one falls on the adoption curve may differ depending on the innovation.

Hayden, Joanna. Introduction to Health Behavior Theory (pp. 516-517). Jones & Bartlett Learning. Kindle Edition.

Question 25

Describe the the 5 segments of people who adopt new innovation. I, EA, EM, LM, L

Answer 25

Innovators - first segment of the curve; a small fraction who like to take chances. Risk takers who have financial resources to absorb loss. Tech savvy minority and can cope with unpredictability.

Early adopters - second segment of the curve and represent a slightly larger population and tend to be opinion leaders in a community. They are respected and often seen as role models so they have a powerful influence over others because they are often the people others like to emulate.

Early majority - third segment of the curve or bell. They represent one of the largest segments of the population and are influenced by opinion leaders and mass media, they take a little longer to adopt new things, and when they do adopt, the innovation becomes mainstream.

Late majority - the 4th segment of the curve on the opposite side of the bell. The people tend to question change and wait until an innovation is an established norm or a social or economic necessity. They tend to have more modest financial resources and to be greatly influenced by their peers. In some societies, the late majority are the social outcasts, the homeless, or those without families.

Laggards - they are the last group and tend to be conservative and traditional, suspicious of innovation, and risk adverse with lower self-esteem and less education. They tend to be geographically mobile and detached from the social environment. These would be the people who just bought their first smartphone.

Question 26

What is the fourth construct in diffusion of innovation which can be a number of entities from a few individuals or an informal or formal group of people, to organizations that are interrelated and engaged in solving a joint problem to accomplish a goal?

Answer 26

Social system.

Question 27

Summary of DoI

Answer 27

N/A