Techno-cognitive Structuration: Modelling the Role of Cognitive Structures in Technology Adaptation

The way we use technology both shapes and is shaped by our environment. Those same technologies also shape and are shaped by our cognitive structures. While several existing theories explain individuals’ adaptation of technology, those theories typically focus on social and behavioral dynamics, with little attention on how technology adaptation changes individuals’ internal representations and associations. This is an important oversight to address, given that contemporary technologies such as social media, big data, artificial intelligence, and wearable devices are known to impact how we process information and conceptualize problems. In this study, we extend the adaptive theory of structuration for individuals (ASTI) to create a theory of techno-cognitive structuration. Techno-cognitive structuration proposes that exploitative and exploratory cognitive adaptations mediate how technology adaptations impact task adaptations. We test this mediating effect using an online experiment, supported by a series of pilot studies and illustrations. The results support the proposed mediating role of cognitive adaptation. These findings challenge existing research on technology adaptation, and suggest that, not only is cognitive adaptation an important phenomenon to study in its own right, but it may also be an important element to consider when making causal claims about other outcomes linked with technology adaptation.