Anxious? Just Google It: Social Ecological Factors of Internet Search Records on Anxiety

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takeshi Hamamura ◽  
Christian Shaunlyn Chan
Keyword(s):  
Social Science Research ◽  
Ecological Factors ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Psychological Research ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Internet Search ◽  
Major Disaster ◽  
Search Data ◽  
Google Search

Records of Internet search are increasingly used in social science research. Three studies reported here tested (a) whether population-level anxiety is reflected in Internet search data and (b) the socio-ecological and cultural factors of anxiety. Using data from Japan, we found that the Google search rates of anxiety are associated with self-report anxiety (Study 1), and that the search rates increased following a major disaster (Study 2). These findings suggest that anxiety is searched more often on the Internet when and where people are feeling anxious. However, while search rates of anxiety increased since 2010, there was no sign of worsening anxiety among Japanese in two large national data on self-report anxiety (Study 1). Study 3 used search data to examine an anxiety-related cultural phenomenon. Consistent with a lay belief that is rarely empirically examined, we found that anxiety among Japanese increases in spring when millions in the country make school and career transitions. This pattern was somewhat more pronounced in large cities and was not evident in other negative emotions examined. Together, these findings add to psychologists’ understanding of anxiety particularly its vulnerability to environmental threat and social disconnection. These findings also demonstrate the potential of Internet search data in advancing psychological research, particularly in examining mental processes’ socio-ecological, cultural, and temporal factors.

Using Internet Search Data to Produce State-level Measures: The Case of Tea Party Mobilization

2015 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 898-925 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph DiGrazia
Keyword(s):  
Social Science Research ◽  
State Level ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Tea Party ◽  
Right Wing ◽  
Internet Search ◽  
Tea Party Movement ◽  
Search Data ◽  
Movement Mobilization ◽  
Google Search

This study proposes using Internet search data from search engines like Google to produce state-level metrics that are useful in social science research. Generally, state-level research relies on demographic statistics, official statistics produced by government agencies, or aggregated survey data. However, each of these data sources has serious limitations in terms of both the availability of the data and its ability to capture important concepts. This study demonstrates how state-level Google search measures can be produced and then demonstrates the effectiveness of such measures in an empirical case: predicting state-level Tea Party movement mobilization. Drawing on existing studies of the Tea Party movement and theories of right-wing and conservative mobilization, state-level Google search measures for anti-immigrant sentiment and economic distress are developed and compared to traditional metrics that are typically used to measure these concepts, such as the unemployment rate and the international immigration rate in their ability to successfully predict Tea Party event counts. The results show that the Google search measures are effective in predicting Tea Party mobilization in a way that is consistent with existing theory, while the traditional measures are not.

scholarly journals Population-Level Interest and Telehealth Capacity of US Hospitals in Response to COVID-19: Cross-Sectional Analysis of Google Search and National Hospital Survey Data (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Young-Rock Hong ◽  
John Lawrence ◽  
Dunc Williams Jr ◽  
Arch Mainous III
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Population Level ◽  
The United States ◽  
Health Care Facilities ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Internet Search ◽  
American Hospital ◽  
Search Volume ◽  
Google Search

BACKGROUND As the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is widely spreading across the United States, there is a concern about the overloading of the nation’s health care capacity. The expansion of telehealth services is expected to deliver timely care for the initial screening of symptomatic patients while minimizing exposure in health care facilities, to protect health care providers and other patients. However, it is currently unknown whether US hospitals have the telehealth capacity to meet the increasing demand and needs of patients during this pandemic. OBJECTIVE We investigated the population-level internet search volume for telehealth (as a proxy of population interest and demand) with the number of new COVID-19 cases and the proportion of hospitals that adopted a telehealth system in all US states. METHODS We used internet search volume data from Google Trends to measure population-level interest in telehealth and telemedicine between January 21, 2020 (when the first COVID-19 case was reported), and March 18, 2020. Data on COVID-19 cases in the United States were obtained from the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resources Center. We also used data from the 2018 American Hospital Association Annual Survey to estimate the proportion of hospitals that adopted telehealth (including telemedicine and electronic visits) and those with the capability of telemedicine intensive care unit (tele-ICU). Pearson correlation was used to examine the relations of population search volume for telehealth and telemedicine (composite score) with the cumulative numbers of COVID-19 cases in the United States during the study period and the proportion of hospitals with telehealth and tele-ICU capabilities. RESULTS We found that US population–level interest in telehealth increased as the number of COVID-19 cases increased, with a strong correlation (<i>r</i>=0.948, <i>P</i>&lt;.001). We observed a higher population-level interest in telehealth in the Northeast and West census region, whereas the proportion of hospitals that adopted telehealth was higher in the Midwest region. There was no significant association between population interest and the proportion of hospitals that adopted telehealth (<i>r</i>=0.055, <i>P</i>=.70) nor hospitals having tele-ICU capability (<i>r</i>=–0.073, <i>P</i>=.61). CONCLUSIONS As the number of COVID-19 cases increases, so does the US population’s interest in telehealth. However, the level of population interest did not correlate with the proportion of hospitals providing telehealth services in the United States, suggesting that increased population demand may not be met with the current telehealth capacity. Telecommunication infrastructures in US hospitals may lack the capability to address the ongoing health care needs of patients with other health conditions. More practical investment is needed to deploy the telehealth system rapidly against the impending patient surge.

Sealab II and Skylab

2012 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 551-588 ◽  
Author(s):  
Layne Karafantis
Keyword(s):  
Cold War ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Extreme Environments ◽  
Space Station ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Psychological Research ◽  
Earth Orbit ◽  
National Defense ◽  
The Cold War

Sealab II, an underwater habitat experiment conducted by the Navy in 1965, and Skylab, NASA’s proto-space station launched into Earth orbit in 1973, are examples of extreme environments in which psychological research was carried out on the inhabitants of these spaces. These vessels showcase attention paid to psychological field research during the Cold War, a time when isolated confined environments and small group studies were funded under federal auspices for national defense purposes. These case studies challenge historians to re-evaluate existing definitions of the laboratory and of fieldwork, as their application to novel spaces in postwar social science research differed from prior uses of these terms.

Psychology of the Scientist: XVIII. The Factualizing Game: A Sickness of Psychological Research

1966 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 563-570 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert G. Ryder
Keyword(s):  
Social Science ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Psychological Research ◽  
Value Judgments

Factualizing is representing value judgments as descriptive facts. It is criticized as a pervasive and serious flaw in psychological (and other social science) research. A number of instances are cited.

scholarly journals COVID-19 Symptom-Related Google Searches and Local COVID-19 Incidence in Spain: Correlational Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberto Jimenez Jimenez ◽  
Rosa M Estevez-Reboredo ◽  
Miguel A Santed ◽  
Victoria Ramos
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Influenza A ◽  
Time Lag ◽  
Population Level ◽  
H1n1 Influenza ◽  
Google Trends ◽  
Small Contribution ◽  
Search Patterns ◽  
Search Data ◽  
Google Search

BACKGROUND COVID-19 is one of the biggest pandemics in human history, along with other disease pandemics, such as the H1N1 influenza A, bubonic plague, and smallpox pandemics. This study is a small contribution that tries to find contrasted formulas to alleviate global suffering and guarantee a more manageable future. OBJECTIVE In this study, a statistical approach was proposed to study the correlation between the incidence of COVID-19 in Spain and search data provided by Google Trends. METHODS We assessed the linear correlation between Google Trends search data and the data provided by the National Center of Epidemiology in Spain—which is dependent on the Instituto de Salud Carlos III—regarding the number of COVID-19 cases reported with a certain time lag. These data enabled the identification of anticipatory patterns. RESULTS In response to the ongoing outbreak, our results demonstrate that by using our correlation test, the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic can be predicted in Spain up to 11 days in advance. CONCLUSIONS During the epidemic, Google Trends offers the possibility to preempt health care decisions in real time by tracking people's concerns through their search patterns. This can be of great help given the critical, if not dramatic need for complementary monitoring approaches that work on a population level and inform public health decisions in real time. This study of Google search patterns, which was motivated by the fears of individuals in the face of a pandemic, can be useful in anticipating the development of the pandemic.

Mitigating the Effects of Social Desirability Bias in Self-Report Surveys

2020 ◽  
pp. 146-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmet Durmaz ◽  
İnci Dursun ◽  
Ebru Tümer Kabadayi
Keyword(s):  
Social Desirability ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Special Kind ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Measurement Methods ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Social Desirability Bias ◽  
New Techniques

Self-reporting is a frequently used method to measure various constructs in many areas of social science research. Literature holds abundant evidence that social desirability bias (SDB), which is a special kind of response bias, can severely plague the validity and accuracy of the self-report survey measurements. However, in many areas of behavioral research, there is little or no alternative to self-report surveys for collecting data about specific constructs that only the respondents may have the information about. Thus, researchers need to detect or minimize SDB to improve the quality of overall data and their deductions drawn from them. Literature provides a number of techniques for minimizing SDB during survey procedure and statistical measurement methods to detect and minimize the validity-destructive impact of SDB. This study aims to explicate the classical and new techniques for mitigating the SDB and to provide a guideline for the researchers, especially for those who focus on socially sensitive constructs.

The Strategy and Attribution Questionnaire: Psychometric Properties 1The preparation of this article was supported by a grant from the Social Science Research Council of Finland. We are grateful to Michael Berzonsky for his helpful comments on an earlier draft.

1995 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 108-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jari-Erik Nurmi ◽  
Katariina Salmela-Aro ◽  
Tarja Haavisto
Keyword(s):  
Social Science Research ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Self Report ◽  
The Social ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Attribution Questionnaire ◽  
Validity Criteria ◽  
Task Irrelevant ◽  
The University

It has been suggested that people's cognitive and attributional strategies influence the extent to which they are successful in various situations. A 60-item self-report scale for measuring these strategies was developed. This Strategy and Attribution Questionnaire (SAQ) comprised ten subscales: (1) Success expectations, (2) Task-irrelevant behaviour, (3) Seeking social support, (4) Reflective thinking and (5) Master-orientation in an achievement situation, and (6) Success expectations, (7) Task-irrelevant behaviour, (8) Avoidance, (9) Master-orientation and (10) Pessimism in an affiliative context. An attempt to validate these subscales was made by correlating them with Rosenberg's Self-esteem and Self-stability Scales, a revised Beck's Depression Inventory, the Peer Relationship Measure, and the levels of task-irrelevant behaviour, test-anxiety, and grades in a university examination. This was done with a sample of 488 undergraduates at the University of Helsinki. The results showed that the SAQ subscales were moderately or highly, and in theoretically expected ways, associated with various validity criteria. Moreover, internal consistency and retest reliabilities were good. The results suggest that the SAQ provides a valid and reliable measure for identifying different types of cognitive and attributional strategy.

The case for collation to inform debate and transform practice in decolonising Psychology

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 372-378 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catriona Ida Macleod
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Social Science ◽  
South African ◽  
Systematic Reviews ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Global South ◽  
Psychological Research ◽  
Literature Reviews ◽  
Global North

Critiques of the ‘relevance’ of Psychology in South Africa and Africa have been raging for a number of decades now. Recent debates about decolonising Psychology and what is meant by African Psychology have been rigorous and necessary. In this commentary, I argue that in order for Psychology to move beyond Euro-American-centric epistemology and practice, these efforts need to be supplemented with the grounded praxis of research and literature collation. The epistemological, empirical, and conceptual knowledges that have been generated within the South African, African, and Global South contexts need to be brought together in coherent forms. As with other analytical processes, the grounded praxis of collating knowledges around a particular topic or approach allows for fresh insights and for the transfer of knowledges generated in context. Gaps in current research may be identified, debates on particular issues strengthened, and practice potentially improved. Drawing on two examples – textbooks and systematic literature reviews – and from my and colleagues’ work in conducting these kinds of collation work, I argue that: textbook writers should use grounded methodologies to generate texts based on South African, African, and Global South research, with reference to research conducted in the Global North being peripheral at best; and systematic reviews enable the cross-fertilisation of ideas from other social science research where psychological research is sparse. Funders should consider funding collation efforts.

Information-seeking in the Wake of Tragedy: An Examination of Public Response to Mass Shootings Using Google Search Data

2020 ◽  
pp. 073112142096478
Author(s):  
Daniel Charles Semenza ◽  
John A. Bernau
Keyword(s):  
Information Seeking ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
News Coverage ◽  
Public Information ◽  
The United States ◽  
Gun Control ◽  
Mass Shootings ◽  
Public Response ◽  
Search Data ◽  
Google Search

Mass shootings are a highly visible form of violence in the United States, although public response to these events varies considerably. Drawing on social problems and collective threat perception literature, we use search data for all Google-using Americans following mass shootings since 2004 to examine how event attributes such as the number of victims, venue, and type of weapon(s) predict public information-seeking related to gun control and gun rights. The results demonstrate that the number of victims, news coverage, school venue, and the use of certain weapons all significantly increase public interest in gun control and gun rights. These key predictors interact with one another to further influence information-seeking behaviors related to both gun control and gun rights. We conclude with a discussion of our findings and the potential for Google Search data in social science research.

scholarly journals Developmental Idealism in Internet Search Data

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 286-313 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shawn F. Dorius ◽  
Jeffrey Swindle
Keyword(s):  
Mental Image ◽  
National Development ◽  
Public Perceptions ◽  
Ordinary People ◽  
Global Development ◽  
Internet Search ◽  
Search Queries ◽  
Search Data ◽  
Developmental Idealism ◽  
Google Search

Scholarship on developmental idealism demonstrates that ordinary people around the world tend to perceive the level of development and the specific characteristics of different countries similarly. We build on this literature by examining public perceptions of nations and development in internet search data, which we argue offers insights into public perceptions that survey data do not address. Our analysis finds that developmental idealism is prevalent in international internet search queries about countries. A consistent mental image of national development emerges from the traits publics ascribe to countries in their queries. We find a positive relationship between the sentiment expressed in autocomplete Google search queries about a given country and its position in the global developmental hierarchy. People in diverse places consistently associate positive attributes with countries ranked high on global development indices and negative characteristics with countries ranked low. We also find a positive correlation between the number of search queries about a country and the country's position in indices of global development. These findings illustrate that ordinary people have deeply internalized developmental idealism and that this informs their views about countries worldwide.

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