Ibrahim, Fabio

Introduction Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a transformative technology impacting various sectors of society and the economy. Understanding the factors influencing AI adoption is critical for both research and practice. This study focuses on two key objectives: (1) validating an extended version of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) in the context of AI by integrating the Big Five personality traits and AI mindset, and (2) conducting an exploratory k-prototype analysis to classify AI adopters based on demographics, AI-related attitudes, and usage patterns. Methods A sample of N = 1,007 individuals individuals (60% female; M = 30.92; SD = 8.63 years) was collected. Psychometric data were obtained using validated scales for TAM constructs, Big Five personality traits, and AI mindset. Regression analysis was used to validate TAM, and a k-prototype clustering algorithm was applied to classify participants into adopter categories. Results The psychometric analysis confirmed the validity of the extended TAM. Perceived usefulness was the strongest predictor of attitudes towards AI usage (β = 0.34, p < 0.001), followed by AI mindset scale growth (β = 0.28, p < 0.001). Additionally, openness was positively associated with perceived ease of use (β = 0.15, p < 0.001). The k-prototype analysis revealed four distinct adopter clusters, consistent with the diffusion of innovations model: early adopters (n = 218), early majority (n = 331), late majority (n = 293), and laggards (n = 165). Discussion The findings highlight the importance of perceived usefulness and AI mindset in shaping attitudes toward AI adoption. The clustering results provide a nuanced understanding of AI adopter types, aligning with established innovation diffusion theories. Implications for AI deployment strategies, policy-making, and future research directions are discussed.

Virtual reality (VR) is an emerging technology primarily used in training, with potential applications as a digital interface for crisis management and operational command. This article investigates two aspects: the influence of the personality trait openness on the technology acceptance model and the impact of VR on presence, task load, and decision-making performance in ten military operational scenarios. The study involved 140 soldiers (93% male; M = 33.5, SD = 13.6) randomly assigned to the desktop or VR condition. Psychometric results indicate that openness affects perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. Perceived usefulness and perceived enjoyment predict users‘ attitudes toward VR technology, which, in turn, influences their behavioral intentions. Experimental findings reveal a strong correlation between the VR condition and spatial presence (r = -.739) and temporal demand (r = -.256). Notably, the VR group demonstrates significantly improved decision-making performance (d = -1.537). However, it is essential to note that the impact of the VR condition is not mediated by presence and task load. The article also discusses the implications of these results and potential explanatory approaches.

Abstract: The human mind is the paramount battleground in modern warfare, where cognitive warfare emerges as an unparalleled domain demanding recognition. The People’s Republic of China and Russia have incorporated cognitive warfare and related strategies into their operations. However, there remains a blurriness regarding the concept and application of cognitive warfare in academic discourse and Western military doctrines. Problem statement: How to define cognitive warfare from a psychological perspective to adapt to the changing landscape of modern combat? So what?: Nations and international alliances must adjust their doctrines to have a uniform and comprehensive definitory landscape. Simultaneously, these actors must educate and train staff in the correct terminology to ensure interoperability and intelligibility.

In this study, we plan to investigate the interplay of achievement motives (fear of failure, hope for success), the trichotomous achievement goal model (mastery-approach, performance-approach, performance-avoidance), and implicit theories of intelligence on academic performance. The two essential questions of this study are: What influence do implicit theories have on the relationships between achievement motives and achievement goal orientations? And how does individual academic ability influence the relationship between achievement goal orientations and academic performance? The hypothesized structural equation model includes the exogenous variables of implicit theories, hope for success, fear of failure, academic ability, and the endogenous variables of mastery-approach, performance-approach, performance-avoidance, and academic performance. The sample comprises N = 117 individuals (18 % = female), all studying a STEM degree program. The Abitur grade measures the academic ability, and academic performance is calculated as the grade point average after the first examination phase. With this study, the authors hope to replicate the previously found correlations of implicit theories, achievement motives, and achievement goal orientations with academic performance and contribute to a more fine-grained understanding of the interplay of the antecedents and effects of achievement goal orientations.

Self-worth, the subjective value one ascribes to oneself as a person, is a central driving force of human action. The need for high self-esteem is axiomatic, and congruence between one's attitude towards oneself and one's actual abilities is a prerequisite for effectively coping with reality. However, despite amassing objective indicators of success, people often underestimate their abilities and achievements, which then stand in stark contrast to external performance expectations, which correspond to the actual successes achieved. This divergence between one’s own and social performance expectations by others can potentially lead to the feeling of being an Impostor. The impostor phenomenon describes the chronic feeling that one's achievements and successes are fake, no matter how many indicators of success have been amassed, as well as the fear of being exposed to social judgement. Growing scholarly interest in this phenomenon has led to increased research and new psychometric instruments to measure the interindividual characteristics of those affected. Common to all these instruments is measurement of an overall, expression despite the multidimensional conceptualization of the construct. In this dissertation project, we addressed this mismatch between the theoretical construct and psychometric operationalization by developing a multidimensional questionnaire for measuring the impostor phenomenon on a facet level. In our preliminary article, we developed and validated the six-scale Impostor-Profile. In a subsequent study, the first study of this dissertation project, we detected an Imposter-Profile total score by aggregating the six subscales. Further, we found that gender differences in Impostor expression are particularly evident at the subscale level. In the second study, in an experimental design we showed that high Impostor expression is related to external-unstable success attribution and internal-stable failure attribution. In the third and final study, we validated the English version of the Imposter-Profile and formulated and explored an explanatory model for the emergence and manifestation of Impostor feelings, which we termed the LHMIP. Our research thus focuses on expanding diagnostic possibilities in Impostor research, experimentally validating imposters’ non-self-serving attribution style, and contributing new impulses to etiological research through the exploratory model.