John P. Charlton

Distinguishing addiction and high engagement in the context of online game playing

This study considered whether the distinction between core and peripheral criteria for behavioral addiction, previously drawn with respect to computing activities in general, applies in the specific area of Massively Multiplayer Online Game playing. Questionnaire items were administered over the Internet to 442 game players. Factor-analysis of the data supported the previous findings for computing in general. An addiction factor loaded on items tapping previously identified core criteria (conflict, withdrawal symptoms, relapse and reinstatement and behavioral salience) and a (non-pathological) engagement factor loaded on items tapping previously identified peripheral criteria (cognitive salience, tolerance and euphoria). Analysis of response frequencies supported the existence of a developmental process whereby peripheral criteria are met before core criteria. Players who might be considered addicted using a monothetic classification system involving only the core criteria were shown to spend a significantly greater amount of time playing per week than those endorsing only the peripheral criteria. It is concluded that the study supports the idea that it is inappropriate to use some of the previously used criteria for addiction when researching or diagnosing computer-related addictions. Implications of the present findings for Internet-mediated data collection methodologies are also discussed.

A factor‐analytic investigation of computer ‘addiction’ and engagement

Evidence supporting the application of Browns (1991, 1993) conception of behavioural addiction to computing behaviour is presented. Questionnaire items tapping Browns addiction criteria were factor-analysed along with others, including computer apathy-engagement and computer anxiety-comfort items of Charlton and Birkett (1995). Items relating to some of Browns criteria (tolerance, euphoria, and cognitive salience) were found to be complex, an Addiction factor loading upon them but an Engagement factor loading more highly. Items tapping other criteria (conflict, withdrawal, behavioural salience, and relapse and reinstatement) were shown to be factor pure, with only the addiction factor loading highly upon them. It is concluded that Browns conception of behavioural addiction can be applied to computer-related behaviour, although the relationship of milder facets of addiction, which are also merely indicative of high engagement, to computer-related addictions is non-unique. It is also concluded that classifying individuals as exhibiting pathological computer use using checklists based upon adaptations of DSM criteria for pathological gambling is likely to overestimate the number of people addicted to computing activities.

Validating the distinction between computer addiction and engagement: online game playing and personality

This article considers validatory evidence for the previously made distinction between (pathological) computing-related addictions and (non-pathological) high engagement in computing activities, and an associated distinction between core and peripheral criteria for diagnosing computing-related addictions. Using data provided by 388 players of a massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) via an online questionnaire, psychometric measures of engagement and addiction to the MMORPG taking into account the distinction between core and peripheral addiction criteria are shown to be differentially related to personality factors (extraversion, emotional stability, agreeableness, negative valence, and attractiveness). Addiction scale scores are shown to increase as negativity on all five personality characteristics increases, with these characteristics predicting 20% of the variance in addiction scores, but the same pattern is shown to occur for only one characteristic (negative valence) for the engagement scale, with personality characteristics predicting only around 2% of the variance in engagement scores. It is concluded that there is reasonable support for the distinctions between addiction and engagement and between core and peripheral criteria. Implications are discussed.

The Development and Validation of the Computer Apathy and Anxiety Scale

A new computer attitudes scale entitled The Computer Apathy and Anxiety Scale is presented. The scale is shown to have a stable factor structure, and consists of three subscales, interpreted as Computer Apathy, Computer Anxiety, and Societal Overemphasis of Computers. The first of these reflects a behavioral component, the second an affective component and the third a cognitive component. It is argued that the constructs of computer apathy and anxiety are highly related, but distinct. Possible uses of the scale are discussed in the context of a brief review of the literature on computer anxiety and computer dependency, the emphasis being on gender-related issues.

Euro Illusion: Psychological Insights into Price Evaluations with a Unitary Currency

Gamble, A. (2005). Perception of Value of Money in Unfamiliar Currencies Department of Psychology, Goteborg University, Sweden. The real value of money as well as the perceived value of money is subject to changes. Inflation and deflation are examples of changes in real value. It has been shown that these changes do not always correspond to changes in subjective value. The money illusion implies that the subjective value of money is biased by the nominal representation in times of inflation or deflation. This thesis examines the related euro illusion referring to an influence of the nominal representation on the subjective value of money when a small-unit currency (high nominal value) is compared to a large-unit currency (low nominal value) or the reverse. In addition the thesis investigates whether accuracy-effort tradeoffs affect the size of the euro illusion. In Study I participants were in four experiments requested to evaluate prices of consumer products in their domestic currencies (Swedish crowns or pound sterling) or in euros, or to make evaluations of prices of low-price and high-price essential and non-essential consumer products in fictitious currencies with different exchange rates. Either a positive or a negative attitude was induced. In three experiments Study II tested the effects of mood on choices between two fictitious currencies for making payment or obtaining a salary as well as on choices between low-price and high-price consumer products with prices expressed in fictitious currencies. Mood was induced in one experiment and in two experiments natural mood was assessed. Three experiments in Study III investigated the role of income on the euro illusion. A reverse euro illusion was hypothesized because when the income is known, the prices of consumer products would be compared to the income, and thus they would be evaluated as less expensive in a currency with a large nominal value than in a currency with a small nominal value (called the compression effect). In Study IV three experiments systematically varied either the actual or subjective value for the same nominal value of money. The results of the conducted studies demonstrated the expected bias toward the nominal representation of prices (the euro illusion) when prices were expressed in fictitious currencies. This was done for both evaluations of prices of consumer goods, of choices of currency, and of choices between consumer products. Furthermore, both changes and no changes in the nominal representation affected price evaluations. In support of the role of accuracy-effort tradeoffs, the euro illusion was reduced by a more important task (evaluation of prices of high-price essential products), a negative attitude, and an induced activated negative mood, as well as a simple exchange rate.The Euro illusion is a phenomenon related to the money illusion whereby people are biased toward the nominal representation of the Euro (the numbers printed on notes and coins) when evaluating prices in the new currency. In Study 1 the Euro illusion was demonstrated in telephone interviews of a Swedish population-based sample. However, no Euro illusion was found for British students in Study 2. An additional two studies employing student samples demonstrated the Euro illusion for fictitious unknown currencies in that prices of goods or services were evaluated as less expensive when the money unit was larger. An exception, however, was that prices were evaluated as more expensive when the money unit was very small (like the Italian Lira). Furthermore, the illusion was weaker or absent for low-price essential goods or services or for an induced negative attitude toward the currency change.

Measuring health beliefs on the Internet: A comparison of paper and Internet administrations of the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale

A growing number of studies have supported the use of unidimensional psychometric test instruments administered via the Internet; however, support for the use of multidimensional scales is weak. The present study compares paper and Internet administrations of the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control (MHLC) Scale (Wallston & Wallston, 1981). In terms of reliabilities and factor structures, the Internet data were found to be at least as good as the paper data. MHLC scores were comparable for paper and Internet administrations, although the Internet sample scored significantly lower on the Powerful Others subscale. Overall, the results show that administration of the MHLC Scale via the Internet can produce data comparable to that obtained by pen-and-paper methods. However, it is concluded that generalization of these findings beyond the psychometric test instrument and sampling procedures used here is not warranted.

The role of internal reference prices in consumers’ willingness to pay judgments: Thaler’s Beer Pricing Task revisited

Alternative reference prices, either displayed in the environment (external) or recalled from memory (internal) are known to influence consumer judgments and decisions. In one line of previous research, internal reference prices have been defined in terms of general price expectations. However, Thaler (Marketing Science 4 (1985) 199; Journal of Behavioral Decision Making 12 (1999) 183) defined them as fair prices expected from specific types of seller. Using a Beer Pricing Task, he found that seller context had a substantial effect on willingness to pay, and concluded that this was due to specific internal reference prices evoked by specific contexts. In a think aloud study using the same task (N = 48), we found only a marginal effect of seller context. In a second study using the Beer Pricing Task and seven analogous ones (N = 144), general internal reference prices were estimated by asking people what they normally paid for various commodities. Both general internal reference prices and seller context influenced willingness to pay, although the effect of the latter was again rather small. We conclude that general internal reference prices have a greater impact in these scenarios than specific ones, because of the lower cognitive load involved in their storage and retrieval.

Differentiating computer-related addictions and high engagement

This paper discusses the difference between computing-related addictions and high engagement in computing activities. The results of two studies are reviewed, one involving factor analysis of paper questionnaire items concerning computing in general, and one involving web-based questionnaire items concerning a Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game. Across both data sets, it is shown that items tapping euphoria, cognitive salience and tolerance appear to indicate high engagement (a high degree of non-pathological involvement) rather than addiction. It is therefore suggested that these criteria, which have been used to classify pathological gambling behaviours, should not be adapted for use in classifying pathological computing behaviours, as has sometimes been done. It is argued that, while thoughts and behaviours surrounding computing may occupy a large amount of the time of people who are highly engaged with a computing activity, this cannot be considered pathological in the absence of deleterious effects on their lives. It is shown that including these types of criteria in schemes to classify people as addicted can lead to over-estimates in the number of people who are addicted to any particular computing activity. On the other hand, it is argued that people whose behaviours lead to interpersonal conflict, who experience withdrawal symptoms when not performing an activity, whose attempts to curtail their behaviour end in relapse and reinstatement, and whose behaviours result in self-neglect can be considered to be addicted to a computing activity.

Perception of psychopathy and the Uncanny Valley in virtual characters

Virtual characters with a realistic, human-like appearance are increasingly being used in video games and animation. However, increased realism does not necessarily imply increased acceptance and factors such as aberrant facial expression may evoke the Uncanny Valley phenomenon. In humans, personality traits such as anger, callousness, coldness, dominance, being unconcerned, and untrustworthiness are associated with psychopathy; a visual facial marker of this condition being a lack of visible response in the eye region to emotive situations. As such, the present study investigated if inadequate upper facial animation in human-like virtual characters evoked the uncanny due to a perception of psychopathic traits within a character. The results revealed that virtual characters that showed a lack of a startle response to a scream sound were regarded as most uncanny and perceptions of personality traits associated with psychopathy were a strong predictor of reported uncanniness but, that other negative personality traits not associated with psychopathy were not. The study presents possible psychological drivers of uncanniness to inform designers why a lack of detail in a characters upper face when portraying a startle response may evoke perception of specific negative personality traits in a character, to help control the uncanny in character design.

Cognitive processes underlying lottery and sports gambling decisions: the role of stated probabilities and background knowledge

Two studies compared choice and underlying cognitive processes in equivalent decision tasks involving risk and uncertainty (lotteries versus sports gambles including displayed expert probability judgements). In sports gambles, background knowledge was triggered via information on team location, home or away. Otherwise, displayed risk information (stake, winnings, odds, and outcome probabilities) was controlled across gamble type. In a choice study, home win bets were chosen significantly more frequently than draws or away wins, compared to lottery equivalents. In a parallel study eliciting concurrent verbal protocols, participants made fewer evaluations of odds and probabilities, and more statements involving background knowledge in sports gambles. Furthermore, some sports gamble protocols indicated modifications of stated probabilities and decision strategies contingent on domain knowledge. It was concluded that stated probability revision and knowledge-based reasoning are key cognitive processes in sports gambling not normally applied in the lottery paradigms often employed in decision research.