Modeling virtual exploratory and shopping dynamics: an environmental psychology approach

A huge amount of research in academia and industry has focused on the hardware and technological side of information systems, while the role of emotions in the way these systems are utilized has been largely neglected. However, recent developments in other disciplines have suggested that emotions play a significant role in decision-making. To address this state of affairs, this study draws upon hypotheses from environmental psychology; specifically, that users’ tendencies to approach or avoid environments are modeled on the basis of user reaction to the information load of a virtual environment and the emotions that such an environment elicits. A field experiment was conducted in which users visited popular shopping websites. The work demonstrated how information load and emotions influence virtual exploratory and shopping decisions.