"COMPUTER FEAR"
(Another Mike Greenly Special)
by Stefanie Kott


Mike Greenly, the online roving camera, invited members of NWI
to meet two Ph.D.'s in psychology, Michelle Weil and Larry
Rosen, a married couple who specialze in treating
computerphobia. He took us into their living room, described
it and their casual dress, breathed life into their dynamic
relationship, and then got down to business.

"Phobic reactions to technology appear to be one reason so many
bank customers still avoid actively using the widely installed
base of cash-card terminals...or...learning how to program the
videotape recorders they own, or...using all the features of
their microwave ovens," Michelle said. Add to this the fact
that Larry teaches courses in statistics requiring computer
use, and that he finds that over half his students demonstrate
fear of computers--a quarter of them with degrees of panic--and
you have motivation to explore the phenomenon of computerphobia
seriously.

Michelle, Larry, and Dr. Deborah Sears, who work out of
California State University in Dominquez Hills, California,
applied for, and received, a three-year Fund for the
Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) grant to develop
"a treatment model for eliminating the effects of fear that
hold people back from computers and their importance in
business and education," Mike explained.

The research team has identified three types of computerphobia
and treatment for each. In brief:

The Anxious Computerphobic, who exhibits physical symptoms such
as sweaty palms and back tension, is treated with systematic
desensitization. Treatment includes relaxation techniques
employed while imagining situations in which
computers have been a source of anxiety.

The Cognitive Computerphobic, who appears calm but is certain
that the computer is smarter |han he or she is, is made aware
of his or her negative feelings. Then an attempt is made to
stop the negative thoughts by "creating a void" where negative
thinking was, and replacing the negative thoughts with positive
ones. The end result of this approach, essentially, is to give
these computerphobics a feeling of competence.

Treatment for the Uncomfortable User is done in groups of ten
and is designed to develop computer awareness and eliminate
misconceptions about the computer. Among other things done in
this treatment process, the insides of a computer are shown and
floppy disks are cut apart.

The unshaking belief that computers will continue to be
important in our lives underlies the motivation of the
researchers to help as many computerphobics as they can. Their
goals include expanding the program to reach more teachers,
businesspeople, and even governments agencies both in the U.S.
and abroad.

As always in Mike's interviews, the readers are invited to
contribute their ideas about the topic. And, as usual, many of
the readers did. There was a lively discussion of computer fear
itself, as opposed to real phobias about computers. A few
people pointed out that those who experience real phobias have
emotionally based reactions of deeper origin than those who
experience computer fear. Also discussed was the fact that
there has been too little study done in this area even to have
an adequate construct to describe the phenomenon, and that
computer fear will likely be found to result from numerous
personal, cultural, and subcultural factors as yet not fully
understood.

A healthy discussion developed around the idea of legitimizing
the notion of computer fear too much. Some readers feel that
enthusiasm about technology and what it can do, coupled with
excitement about learning it, far surpass treating people as
if there are problems inherent in the process they are entering
as they begin to learn to use computers.

Some offered advice about dealing with people who are fearful
of computers. One believes that starting with a laptop like the
Radio Shack Model 100 is advantageous because the perception of
it is that it is more typewriter-like than computer-like, and
therefore less threatening. A few readers expressed the feeling
that using analogies to things known are helpful, such as
likening memory to the brain of the computer. Others believe it
is key to let people know that they cannot hurt the computer by
pressing a wrong key, and that the computer is not, in fact,
smarter than they are.

If you would like to see more of what was said in the latest of
Mike's eclectic explorations, come to NWI and JOIN "COMPUTER
FEAR."