Antecedents of replies and non-replies in online discussion forums: evidence from a think-aloud study

Abstract

This paper investigates users’ intentions to reply and their actual replies in an informal learning online discussion. Based on the literature, it was expected that two factors determine whether users will reply to a discussion post: a) cognitive conflict between the attitude expressed in a post and a user’s attitude; b) degree of emotionality of a discussion post. In order to test for these assumptions, 19 participants were requested to think aloud while reading through an online forum discussion on the advantages and disadvantages of alternative medicine. Verbalizations of users were coded for intentions to reply or not to reply, and for underlying reasons. Moreover, actual responses were coded for agreement and disagreement. Results indicate that cognitive conflict plays an important role when contributing to an online discussion, whereas emotionality only plays a minor role.