Captology
Encyclopedia
Captology is the study of computers as persuasive technologies. This area of inquiry explores the overlapping space between persuasion in general
(influence, motivation
, behavior change
, etc.) and computing technology. This includes the design
, research
, and program analysis
of interactive computing products (such as the Web
, desktop software, specialized devices, etc.) created for the purpose of changing people's attitude
s or behavior
s.
B.J. Fogg in 1996 derived the term captology from an acronym: Computers As Persuasive Technologies. In 2003 he published the first book on captology, entitled Persuasive Technology: Using Computers to Change What We Think and Do.
Persuasion
Persuasion is a form of social influence. It is the process of guiding or bringing oneself or another toward the adoption of an idea, attitude, or action by rational and symbolic means.- Methods :...
(influence, motivation
Motivation
Motivation is the driving force by which humans achieve their goals. Motivation is said to be intrinsic or extrinsic. The term is generally used for humans but it can also be used to describe the causes for animal behavior as well. This article refers to human motivation...
, behavior change
Behavior change
Many health conditions are caused by risk behaviors, such as problem drinking, substance use, smoking, reckless driving, overeating, or unprotected sexual intercourse. The key question in health behavior research is how to predict and modify the adoption and maintenance of health behaviors....
, etc.) and computing technology. This includes the design
Design
Design as a noun informally refers to a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system while “to design” refers to making this plan...
, research
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
, and program analysis
Program analysis (computer science)
In computer science, program analysis is the process of automatically analysing the behavior of computer programs. Two main approaches in program analysis are static program analysis and dynamic program analysis...
of interactive computing products (such as the Web
World Wide Web
The World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet...
, desktop software, specialized devices, etc.) created for the purpose of changing people's attitude
Attitude change
Attitudes are the evaluations and associated beliefs and behaviors towards some object. They are not stable, and because of the communication and behavior of other people, are subject to change by social influences, as well as an individual's motivation to maintain cognitive consistency when...
s or behavior
Behavior change
Many health conditions are caused by risk behaviors, such as problem drinking, substance use, smoking, reckless driving, overeating, or unprotected sexual intercourse. The key question in health behavior research is how to predict and modify the adoption and maintenance of health behaviors....
s.
B.J. Fogg in 1996 derived the term captology from an acronym: Computers As Persuasive Technologies. In 2003 he published the first book on captology, entitled Persuasive Technology: Using Computers to Change What We Think and Do.
External links
Further reading
- B.J. Fogg Persuasive Technology: Using Computers to Change What We Think and Do, Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, 2002, trade paperback 205 pages, ISBN 1-55860-643-2