Examining two Expectation Disconfirmation Theory Models: Assimilation and Asymmetry Effects

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2-2012

Abstract

Information systems researchers have begun to use expectation disconfirmation theory (EDT) to explain user information technology (IT) satisfaction (e.g., Bhattacherjee & Premkumar, 2004). EDT has long been a dominant marketing paradigm for studying customer satisfaction across many products and services (Tse, Nicosia, & Wilton, 1990). In an IT context, EDT explains how technology satisfaction is created as users form initial technology expectations, use the technology, and compare technology performance against initial expectations. According to EDT, expectations are one’s preusage beliefs about how a technology will perform based upon certain attributes of the technology (Olson & Dover, 1979). Performance is an individual’s post-usage belief about how the technology performed on the expectation attributes during the use period (Cadotte, Woodruff, & Jenkins, 1987). Disconfirmation, in turn, is a subjective post-usage comparison that can result in one thinking performance was better, the same as, or worse than expected (Oliver, 1980; Olson & Dover, 1979). EDT posits that expectations, disconfirmation, and performance can all affect satisfaction (Figures 1 and 2). Satisfaction is an important IT-dependent variable that represents a user’s emotional state, feelings, or affective attitude about the system following a usage experience (Bhattacherjee & Premkumar, 2004; Doll & Torkzadeh, 1988).

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Copyright © 2012 Journal of the Association for Information Systems.

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