The Impact of Self-efficacy and Gender on Computer Performance: An Eye Tracking Study

Abstract

This paper addresses the role of self-efficacy in human-computer-interaction (HCI) and examines whether there are gender differences in computer performance. This research study is part of the interdisciplinary doctoral program “Gendered Configurations of Humans and Machines. Interdisciplinary Analyses of Technology,” funded by the federal state of Lower Saxony, Germany and conducted by the Braunschweig University of Technology, Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences and Braunschweig University of Art. This research project aims to analyze usage contexts, expectations, and behavior in the field of information technology with regard to gender aspects. In order to investigate and identify the key gender variables affecting performance and subjective perception during interaction with a human-computer interface, an empirical study with 30 participants was designed and carried out at the Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Electrical Engineering. Fifteen female and 15 male participants, aged 21–63, with different educational, social, migration, and cultural backgrounds were asked to perform three different tasks with an unfamiliar software. The participants wore an eye tracker during task processing. Our extended qualitative and quantitative research aggregated a series of potential gender differences. The results showed that there are gender differences in computer performance. Female users aged 35–64 had lower self-efficacy than male users. They were less persistent when a task became challenging and showed a tendency to attribute failure at a task to their own lack of capability, whereas male users attributed this to the difficulty of the task.