Trust is essential: Positive effects of information systems on users’ memory require trust in the system

Meeßen, Sarah M.; Thielsch, Meinald T.; Riehle, Dennis M.; Hertel, Guido

Abstract
Initial results suggest that decision support systems (DSSs) can trigger ‘directed forgetting' in business settings if users trust in the DSS (Hertel et al., 2019). In the present study, we further examined this trust effect on DSS-cued forgetting and related positive effects on users' cognitive resources, performance, and well-being. Moreover, we investigated how trust translates into behavioral intentions to use a DSS, and into actual usage of the DSS. Finally, we examined if risk-related framing of decision outcomes (loss vs. gain framing) moderates trust effects on directed forgetting and behavioral intentions. In line with our expectations, results of an experiment with N = 200 participants confirmed that trust significantly enhances directed forgetting, performance, and well-being. Behavioral intentions fully mediated the trust effect on DSS use. Framing of decision outcomes showed no moderation but a main effect on directed forgetting, with loss framing reducing the directed forgetting effect.

Keywords
Directed Forgetting; Decision Making; Psychological Aspects; Trust in Technology; Information Quality; System Quality