PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS OF TECHNOLOGICAL AND BIOPHYSIOLOGICAL STUDIES OF TECHNOSTRESS IN MID-LIFE ADULTS

Abstract Long-term exposure to stress places people at risk for chronic diseases including but not limited to obesity, Type-2 diabetes, and heart disease. Various aspects of technology use are associated with stress. Known as technostress, this unique stress is characterized by individuals’ inability to cope with demands generated by computer-related technologies. To date, studies on technostress have focused on young adults and older adults, with an emphasis on self-reported indicators of both technology use and stress. This study differs from prior work in two ways. One, it examines technology use and stress in mid-life adults (50-64), an understudied population in research on technostress. This segment of the population is important because their technostress may negatively affect their successful transition into older adulthood. Second, we use three types of data to elucidate the linkages between technology use and stress: (1) self-reported survey measures of technology use and stress; (2) objective measures of technology use from tracking applications, and (3) biophysiological measures of stress. The study focuses on smartphone use, which was the most commonly used technology by mid-life adults on both weekdays and weekends based on our initial results (N=40). The goal of this pilot study is to highlight the problems and prospects of conducting technostress research through the utilization of multiple data collection modes: self-report, tracking applications (apps), and biophysical indicators.

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Sensitivity to financial rewards and impression management links to smartphone use and dependence

Cognition Brain Behavior An Interdisciplinary Journal ◽

10.24193/cbb.2021.25.06 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 25 (2) ◽

pp. 107-128

Author(s):

Graham Pluck ◽

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Pablo Emilio Barrera Falconi ◽

◽

...

Keyword(s):

Impression Management ◽

Technology Use ◽

Experimental Studies ◽

Negative Relationship ◽

Reward Sensitivity ◽

Self Report ◽

Smartphone Addiction ◽

Observational Measures ◽

Instant Messenger ◽

Smartphone Use

Computational modeling and brain imaging studies suggest that sensitivity to rewards and behaviorist learning principles partly explain smartphone engagement patterns and potentially smartphone dependence. Responses to a questionnaire, and observational measures of smartphone use were recorded for 121 university students. Each participant was also tested with a laboratory task of reward sensitivity and a test of verbal operant conditioning. Twenty-three percent of the sample had probable smartphone addiction. Using multivariate regression, smartphone use, particularly the number of instant messenger services employed, was shown to be significantly and independently predicted by reward sensitivity (a positive relationship), and by instrumental conditioning (a negative relationship). However, the latter association was driven by a subset of participants who developed declarative knowledge of the response-reinforcer contingency. This suggests a process of impression management driven by experimental demand characteristics, producing goal-directed instrumental behavior not habit-based learning. No other measures of smartphone use, including the self-report scale, were significantly associated with the experimental tasks. We conclude that stronger engagement with smartphones, in particular instant messenger services, may be linked to people being more sensitive to rewarding stimuli, suggestive of a motivational or learning mechanism. We propose that this mechanism could underly problem smartphone use and dependence. It also potentially explains why some aspects of smartphone use, such as habitual actions, appear to be poorly measured by technology-use questionnaires. A serendipitous secondary finding confirmed that smartphone use reflected active self-presentation. Our ‘conditioning’ task-induced this behavior in the laboratory and could be used in social-cognition experimental studies.

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Assessment of Long-term Complications due to Type 2 Diabetes Using Patient Self-report

Journal of Ambulatory Care Management ◽

10.1097/00004479-200507000-00010 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 28 (3) ◽

pp. 262-273 ◽

Cited By ~ 49

Author(s):

B. Graeme Fincke ◽

Jack A. Clark ◽

Mark Linzer ◽

Avron Spiro ◽

Donald R. Miller ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Type 2 Diabetes ◽

Self Report

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The Conceptual and Methodological Mayhem of “Screen Time”

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17103661 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (10) ◽

pp. 3661 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Linda K. Kaye ◽

Amy Orben ◽

David A. Ellis ◽

Simon C. Hunter ◽

Stephen Houghton

Keyword(s):

Screen Time ◽

Public Debate ◽

Self Report ◽

Objective Measures ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Subjective Experiences ◽

Critical Account ◽

Over Time ◽

Screen Use

Debates concerning the impacts of screen time are widespread. Existing research presents mixed findings, and lacks longitudinal evidence for any causal or long-term effects. We present a critical account of the current shortcomings of the screen time literature. These include poor conceptualisation, the use of non-standardised measures that are predominantly self-report, and issues with measuring screen time over time and context. Based on these issues, we make a series of recommendations as a basis for furthering academic and public debate. These include drawing on a user-focused approach in order to seek the various affordances gained from “screen use”. Within this, we can better understand the way in which these vary across time and context, and make distinction between objective measures of “screen time” compared to those more subjective experiences of uses or affordances, and the differential impacts these may bring.

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Do smartphone usage scales predict behavior?

10.31234/osf.io/6fjr7 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

David Alexander Ellis ◽

Brittany I Davidson ◽

Heather Shaw ◽

Kris Geyer

Keyword(s):

Technology Use ◽

Psychological Impact ◽

Self Report ◽

Psychometric Scales ◽

Subsequent Behavior ◽

Basic Technology ◽

Smartphone Use ◽

Impact Of Technology ◽

Frame Technology ◽

The Impact

Understanding how people use technology remains important, particularly when measuring the impact this might have on individuals and society. However, despite a growing body of resources that can quantify smartphone use, research within psychology and social science overwhelmingly relies on self-reported assessments. These have yet to convincingly demonstrate an ability to predict objective behavior. Here, and for the first time, we compare a variety of smartphone use and ‘addiction’ scales with objective behaviors derived from Apple’s Screen Time application. While correlations between psychometric scales and objective behavior are generally poor, single estimates and measures that attempt to frame technology use as habitual rather than ‘addictive’ correlate more favorably with subsequent behavior. We conclude that existing self-report instruments are unlikely to be sensitive enough to accurately predict basic technology use related behaviors. As a result, conclusions regarding the psychological impact of technology are unreliable when relying solely on these measures to quantify typical usage.

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Is Technology Enhancing or Hindering Interpersonal Communication? A Framework and Preliminary Results to Examine the Relationship Between Technology Use and Nonverbal Decoding Skill

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2020.611670 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 ◽

Author(s):

Mollie A. Ruben ◽

Morgan D. Stosic ◽

Jessica Correale ◽

Danielle Blanch-Hartigan

Keyword(s):

Technology Use ◽

Interpersonal Perception ◽

Self Report ◽

Objective Measures ◽

Future Research ◽

Human Communication ◽

Nonverbal Decoding ◽

Preliminary Results ◽

Causal Pathways ◽

The Relationship

Digital technology has facilitated additional means for human communication, allowing social connections across communities, cultures, and continents. However, little is known about the effect these communication technologies have on the ability to accurately recognize and utilize nonverbal behavior cues. We present two competing theories, which suggest (1) the potential for technology use to enhance nonverbal decoding skill or, (2) the potential for technology use to hinder nonverbal decoding skill. We present preliminary results from two studies to test these hypotheses. Study 1 (N = 410) found that global screen time was unrelated to nonverbal decoding skill. However, how participants spent their time using technology mattered. Participants who reported more active technology use (i.e., posting content) self-reported that their nonverbal decoding skill (as measured by the Emotional Sensitivity subscale of the Social Skills Inventory) was superior but performed worse on objective measures of decoding skill (using standardized tests including the Diagnostic Analysis of Nonverbal Accuracy-Adult Faces and the Workplace Interpersonal Perception Skill). By contrast, passive users performed significantly better on objective measures of nonverbal decoding skill; although they did not self-report any difference in their skill compared to less passive users. Study 2 (N = 190), and a mini-meta analysis of both studies, replicated this pattern. These effects suggest a roadmap for understanding the theoretical relationship between technology use and nonverbal communication skills. We also provide recommendations for future research, including the use of experimental designs to determine causal pathways and to advance our conceptual understanding of the relationship between technology use and nonverbal decoding skill.

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Digital Intervention for Problematic Smartphone Use

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph182413165 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (24) ◽

pp. 13165

Author(s):

Sarah Kent ◽

Ciara Masterson ◽

Raian Ali ◽

Christine E. Parsons ◽

Bridgette M. Bewick

Keyword(s):

Technology Use ◽

Case Series ◽

Smartphone Application ◽

Preliminary Evidence ◽

Positive Influence ◽

Self Report ◽

Problematic Smartphone Use ◽

Digital Intervention ◽

Smartphone Use ◽

Personalised Feedback

Smartphones have become the primary devices for accessing the online world. The potential for smartphone use to become problematic has come into increasing focus. Students and young adults have been shown to use their smartphones at high rates and may be at risk for problematic use. There is limited research evaluating interventions for problematic smartphone use. The present research aimed to develop and evaluate a digital intervention for problematic smartphone use in a student population. A mixed-method case series design was used. The participants were 10 students with mild–moderate dependency on the online world (measured via a self-report questionnaire). An intervention comprising goal setting, personalised feedback, mindfulness, and behavioural suggestions was delivered via a smartphone application. Time spent on smartphones was measured objectively through the same application. Changes in problematic technology use, wellbeing, mindfulness, and sleep were also evaluated. The findings indicate that the intervention resulted in a reduction in self-reported problematic smartphone use, but not screen time. The findings also indicate that over the course of participation, there was a positive influence on wellbeing, online dependency, mindfulness, and sleep. However, the mechanisms of change could not be determined. The study provides preliminary evidence that a light-touch, smartphone-delivered package is an acceptable and effective intervention for students wishing to better manage their problematic smartphone use.

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