Cyberpsychology

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Cyberpsychology B.Sc. Psychology
PSY30116   Time Slot Thursday 1115am-1.05
pm Room 6E2.2   Lecturers MB Mark Brosnan
M.J.Brosnan_at_Bath.ac.uk tel 386 081 room 2 S
1.12 JG Jeff Gavin J.Gavin_at_Bath.ac.uk tel 386
591 room 2 S 1.04A
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• All notes on Mark Brosnans home page
• http//staff.bath.ac.uk/pssmjb/

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What is Cyberpsychology?Ask Wikipedia

• Cyberpsychology is the study of the human mind
  and behavior in the context of human-technology
  interaction. However, mainstream research studies
  seem to focus on the impact of the Internet and
  cyberspace on the psychology of individuals and
  groups. Some hot topics include online identity
  management, personality types in cyberspace,
  transference to computers, addiction to computers
  and Internet, regressive behavior in cyberspace,
  online gender-switching, etc.

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Structure of the course
Week 1 MB Introduction Week 2 MB
Technophobia Week 3 JG Theories of Computer
Mediated Communication (CMC) Week 4 JG Cross
cultural aspects of computer-mediated
communication (CMC) Week 5 MB Artificial
Consciousness and affective computing Week 6 MB
Neurocyberpsychology Week 7 JG Identity
construction in online settings Week 8 JG
Technofeminism Week 9 Small group activity
Group portfolios Easter Break! Week 10 Small
group activity Presentation planning Week 11
Small group activity Presentations  
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Assessment

• There is one piece of assessment with two parts
• 20 - Oral presentation - Weeks 10 - 11
• 80 - 2250 word maximum (excluding references,
  excluding appendices) essay based on presentation
  topic.

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Portfolio

• During Weeks 1 to 8, all students must keep a
  portfolio detailing their online activities.
• These portfolios will be used to evidence
  theories covered in lectures. The portfolio
  should be reflective, upon how you felt - such as
  feelings of anxiety or other emotional responses
  to your interaction, providing examples of
  miscommunications etc. Also, what factors
  influenced your choice of communication media
  whether to text, call, email, etc.

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Group presentation of portfolio (20)

• Students need to form into groups for
  presentations. Presentations will evidence
  pertinent examples from the portfolios that are
  consistent or inconsistent with the theories
  covered in the cyberpsychology lectures.
• Choose a positive and negative experience and
  discuss how cyberpsychology can explain these
  experiences.

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Individual write up of portfolio (80)

• For the write-up, any aspect of the presentation
  can be focused upon and can incorporate
  additional examples and counter examples, as
  appropriate from the group portfolios.

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Portfolio structure

• Today you will be given a questionnaire that has
  been used before to assess internet use. This can
  inform the structure of your portfolio.
• In addition we will (attempt to!) facilitate a
  Second Life cyberpsychology experience. This
  should be recorded in your portfolio but does not
  have to be used for the presentation or write up.

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Todays lecture

• Cyberpsychology
• Technophobia
• Technophilia

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Clarke (2003)

• E-learning has the power to transform the way we
  learn and bring high-quality, accessible learning
  to everyone so that everyone cab achieve his or
  her potential.
• Gender always emerges as a salient variable and
  this difference can be useful for understanding
  why people use or dont use the Internet.

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Gender differences in use

• USA 73 males, 69 females
• UK 64, 55 females
• Italy 42 males, 22 females

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Gender differences in online activity

• Males information searching and entertainment
• Females interpersonal communication
• (e.g. Jackson et al., 2001)
• Cross cultural (USA, UK, Hong Kong, Singapore)

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More gender differences

• Females have less positive attitudes towards the
  Internet than males, reporting greater
  disorientation and disenchantment.
• Females are less confident in their
  internet-related abilities
• Females are more anxious using the Internet than
  males

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Cooper and Weaver (2003)

• Anxiety
• Doubt ability
• Disidentify
• Negative attitudes
• Avoidance

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Internet anxiety

• The irrational anticipation or fear evoked by the
  thought of using (or actually using) computers,
  the effects of which result in avoiding or
  minimising usage.
• Brosnan (1998)
• Negatively correlates with use
• Cross-cultural

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Internet Identification

• Social identity within the domain of the Internet
• Self-esteem bound with ability in that domain
• To what extent is an individuals self-concept
  related to their perceived ability to use the
  Internet?
• Defining in groups and out groups

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Holloway and Valentine (2003)

• 14 year old boys whose social network was based
  upon their identification with computers
• Defined as geeks or boffins by peers
• Girls actively avoid using the Internet in school.

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Facer et al. (2003)

• Identified three types of relationship between
  identity and technology in school children
• 1) Interested They lived through the computer
• 2) Disinterested They were technologically
  literate, but computers were marginal in their
  lives
• 3) Uninterested Computers were seen as
  irrelevant or actively in opposition to identity
• But could change between ages 13-16

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Joiner, Gavin, Brosnan et al. (2005)

• Internet identification and anxiety in 608
  psychology undergraduates
• Males used the Internet more than females
• What predicted Internet use
• Internet identification, Internet anxiety and
  gender, accounting for around 40 of the variance
  of current use

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Joiner, Gavin, Brosnan et al., (2006)

• Do these factors predict future use?
• 216 Psychology undergraduate students monitored
  over one academic year
• Replicated internet identification correlating
  with current use
• Internet identity very consistent over the
  academic year, i.e. stable
• Internet identity at the beginning of the year
  predicted internet use at the end of the year

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Joiner, Brosnan, Gavin et al. (2007)

• Do these factors extend beyond the UK?
• 446 undergraduates from the UK and Australia
• 8 reported being highly anxious
• Again Internet anxiety and identity predicted
  Internet use

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Subcomponents of Internet Identity

• Being part of an Internet community (34)
• Similarity to other Internet users (20)
• Importance of Internet for studies (10)
• Sex difference only in first factor
• Sex difference in anxiety
• Internet community perceived as a masculine
  domain?

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Gavin, Brosnan, Joiner et al. (2007)

• Draw an Internet user task and Identity
• 371 undergraduates
• Males used the Internet more and had stronger
  Internet identity and these variables correlated
• 59 of males drew males
• 30 of females drew females
• Females who drew males disidentified with the
  Internet and had least use. Not the case for
  males (but few drew females, many undetermined)

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In summary

• Identification and anxiety are important
  variables in determining Internet use
• Consistent gender differences in these variables
• A masculinised image of the Internet can have
  negative consequences for some females
• No single hegemonic stereotype of an Internet user

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Technophobia

• Computer-related anxieties
• Technophobia An irrational anticipation of fear
  evoked by the thought of using (or actually
  using) computers, the effects of which result in
  avoiding, or minimising, computer usage (Brosnan,
  1998 17)

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Three types (Rosen et al., 1993)

• Uncomfortable users Slightly anxious as they
  lack enough information to use computers
  efficiently
• Cognitive technophobes Seem OK but are
  undergoing critical internal dialogues (Im
  going to loose all my work, everyone else seems
  to know what theyre doing except me)
• Anxious technophobes Classic anxiety symptoms
  (sweaty palms, heart palpitations)

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Prevalence

• 50 of most populations Office workers, Police,
  Teachers, School children
• 5 anxious technophobes
• 4.2billion per annum lost in the US through
  inefficiency and absenteeism directly related to
  IT

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Anxiety

• Speilbergers (1966) Trait and state anxiety
• Computer anxiety is a real phenomenon (Moldafsky
  and kwon, 1994 301)
• Not arousal
• Anxiety leads to off-task cognitions
• Reducing capacity in a limited working memory
  system
• Impedes learning and achievement (Marcoulides,
  1988)

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Thorpe and Brosnan (2007)

• Is technophobia a phobia?

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Brosnan and Thorpe (2008)

• Is it curable?

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Flow

• Csikszentmihalyi introduced the concept of flow,
  which he defined as the holistic experience that
  people feel when they act with total
  involvement' (Csikszentmihalyi, 1975, p. 36).
• The term flow represents optimal experience
  that is events in which a person enters a mental
  state of complete absorption or engagement in an
  activity (Csikszentmihalyi, 1975).

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Flow and Cyberpsychology

• Several authors have since suggested that the
  concept of flow is useful for understanding
  several areas of Cyberpsychology such as web use
  and navigation, web marketing, technology use in
  information systems and HCI generally.

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• A flow activity is one in which the mind
  becomes effortlessly focussed and engaged on an
  activity, rather than getting distracted.
• Flow is not an all-or-nothing state
• 9 elements of flow

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1/9 elements of flow

• a clear set of goals that require appropriate
  responses

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2/9 elements of flow

• feedback that is immediate and relevant

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3/9 elements of flow

• skills required for the task that are fully
  involved in overcoming a challenge that is just
  about manageable

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4/9 elements of flow

• the activity involves merging of action and
  awareness

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5/9 elements of flow

• distracting thoughts or irrelevant feelings are
  excluded

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6/9 elements of flow

• the person has a sense of control

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7/9 elements of flow

• the activity becomes worth doing for its own sake
  (autotelic)

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8/9 elements of flow

• there is no self-consciousness

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9/9 elements of flow

• awareness of time might become distorted

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Summary

• A key feature of flow is that an activity
  features an appropriate balance of challenge and
  skills for a person.
• If the challenge of an activity is too great for
  the persons skills then they will become
  frustrated, lose interest and discontinue from
  being in flow.
• Flow will also cease if the challenge of the
  activity is too low so it stops being interesting
  and boredom results.

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Challenge vs. skill
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Novak Hoffman (2000)
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Identify and describe 4 HCI-related flow states
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Computer addiction

• 5 of users (Shotton, 1989)
• Case studies (Griffiths, 2000)
• Clinical? (Charlton, 2002)
• Coping strategy for the inadequate (Shotton,
  1991)
• Gender differences mostly males

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Are computers boys toys?

• The introduction of IT in schools is leading to
  the establishment of yet another high status
  subject with a strongly masculine bias (Chivers,
  1987 17)
• Sex roles developmentally important (Kagan 1964,
  Kohlberg, 1966)
• Masculinity and femininity as assessed by the Bem
  Sex Role Inventory (BSRI Bem, 1974, 1981, 1993)
• Femininity correlates with computer anxiety for
  males and females
• Masculinity negatively correlates with computer
  anxiety
• Controlling for these factors removes sex
  differences
• Games

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More readings

• Key text
• Brosnan, M. (1998) Technophobia. (Routledge).
  Chapters 1 and 2.
• Norman, D. (1998) The Design of Everyday Things.
  London MIT press.
• Technophobia
• Brosnan, M. (1999) The 'Draw-A-Computer-User'
  test A new methodology, an old story? European
  Journal of Psychology of Education, 3, 375-385.
• Brosnan, M. (1999) Modelling Technophobia A Case
  for Word Processing. Computers in Human
  Behavior,15, 105-121.
• Brosnan, M. (1998) The salience of surface
  features upon task performance. The British
  Journal of Educational Psychology, 68, 203-215
• Brosnan, M. (1998) The impact of psychological
  gender, gender-related perceptions, significant
  others and the introducer of technology upon
  computer anxiety in students. Journal of
  Educational Computing Research, 18(1), 63-78.
• Brosnan, M. (1998) The impact of computer
  anxiety and self efficacy upon computer
  performance. The Journal of Computer Aided
  Learning, 14, 223-234
• Brosnan, M. (1998) The role of psychological
  gender in the computer-related attitudes and
  attainments of primary school children (aged
  6-11). Computers and Education, 30(3/4), 203-208.
• Brosnan, M. and Lee, W. (1998) A cross-cultural
  comparison of sex differences in computer
  attitudes and anxieties The United Kingdom and
  Hong Kong. Computers in Human Behavior, 14(4),
  559-577.
• Computer addiction
• Charlton, J. (2002) A factor analytic
  investigation of computer addiction and
  engagement. British Journal of Psychology, 93(3),
  329-344.
• Griffiths, M. (2000) Does Internet and computer
  addiction exist? Some case study evidence.
  Cyberpsychology and Behaviour, 3(2) 211-218.
• Shotton, M. (1989) Computer addiction? A study of
  computer dependency. London Taylor and Francis.
• Shotton, M. (1991) The costs and benefits of
  computer addiction. Behaviour and Information
  Technology, 10, 219-230.
• Psychological gender
• Bem, S. (1974) The measurement of psychological
  androgyny. Journal of Consulting and Clinical
  Psychology, 42(2), 155-162.
• Bem, S. (1975) Sex role adaptability One
  consequence of psychological androgyny. Journal
  of Personality and Social Psychology, 31(4),
  634-643.