Diffusion of Innovations Practice Flashcards

A set of 10 question-and-answer flashcards based on the lecture notes regarding the attributes of innovations, adopter categories, and communication networks.

According to Chapter 6, what are the five perceived attributes of an innovation that explain between $49\%$ and $87\%$ of the variance in its rate of adoption?

Relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, and observability.

Why do "preventive innovations," such as using seat belts or practicing safe sex, typically diffuse exceptionally slowly compared to other technologies?

Their rewards are delayed, uncertain, and invisible, as the primary benefit is the non-occurrence of an event.

What is the "Incentive Paradox" regarding the use of direct or indirect payments to stimulate adoption?

Incentives increase the quantity of adopters but risk lowering the quality of adoption decisions, leading to low intrinsic motivation and high discontinuation rates.

At what point on the S-shaped cumulative adoption curve does the process typically achieve "take-off" and become self-sustaining?

When between $10\%$ and $20\%$ of the members of a social system have adopted the innovation.

Which adopter category represents exactly $13.5\%$ of the standardized distribution and is characterized by possessing the highest degree of opinion leadership?

Early Adopters.

In Geoffrey Moore's "Crossing the Chasm" model, where is the structural gap or "chasm" positioned within the adopter categories?

Directly between the Early Market (Visionaries/Early Adopters) and the Mainstream Market (Pragmatists/Early Majority).

According to Mark Granovetter's theory, why are "weak ties" essential for the diffusion of disruptive innovations?

They function as crucial informational bridges that connect independent, isolated cliques and provide novel, non-redundant information.

In Chapter 8, how is the principle of "homophily" described as a barrier to the vertical diffusion of new ideas?

New ideas enter via elite members and spread horizontally within closed, similar cliques, which prevents the information from trickling down to non-elites.

What are the seven sequential roles of a change agent as they attempt to implement transformation within a client system?

1. Develop a need for change; 2. Establish an information-exchange relationship; 3. Diagnose problems; 4. Create an intent to change; 5. Translate intent into action; 6. Stabilize adoption and prevent discontinuance; 7. Achieve a terminal relationship.

What is the distinction between "targeting" and "tailoring" in strategic communication interventions?

Targeting involves customizing programs for a predefined audience segment, while tailoring involves crafting completely unique messages for a specific individual based on their personal diagnostic data.