Scott E. Caplan

Problematic Internet use and psychosocial well-being: development of a theory-based cognitive–behavioral measurement instrument

Abstract The paper presents results from an exploratory study that: (1) developed a theory-based measure of PIU and (2) administered the instrument to a sample of undergraduate students to assess the associations among PIU and several psychosocial variables including, depression, self-esteem, loneliness, and shyness. A new instrument, the Generalized Problematic Internet Use Scale (GPIUS) was designed to operationalize Daviss [Computers in Human Behavior, 17 (2001), 187] theoretical construct of generalized PIU. The GPIUS and several measures of psychosocial well-being were administered to 386 undergraduate students. Results from this preliminary study indicate that the GPIUS is both reliable and valid. A factor analysis identified seven unique sub-dimensions of the GPIUS, including: mood alteration, perceived social benefits available online, negative outcomes associated with Internet use, compulsive Internet use, excessive amounts of time spent online, withdrawal symptoms when away from the Internet, and perceived social control available online. All GPIUS subscales were correlated with psychosocial health variables including: depression, loneliness, shyness, and self-esteem. A regression analysis identified several important psychosocial and cognitive–behavioral predictors of negative outcomes associated with generalized PIU. Results also suggest that ones preference for computer-mediated social interaction, as opposed to face-to-face interaction, plays a role in the etiology, development, and outcomes of generalized PIU.

Preference for Online Social Interaction A Theory of Problematic Internet Use and Psychosocial Well-Being

The model introduced and tested in the current study suggests that lonely and depressed individuals may develop a preference for online social interaction, which, in turn, leads to negative outcomes associated with their Internet use. Participants completed measures of preference for online social interaction, depression, loneliness, problematic Internet use, and negative outcomes resulting from their Internet use.Results indicated that psychosocial health predicted levels of preference for online social interaction, which, in turn, predicted negative outcomes associated with problematic Internet use. In addition, the results indicated that the influence of psychosocial distress on negative outcomes due to Internet use is mediated by preference for online socialization and other symptoms of problematic Internet use.T he results support the current hypothesis that that individuals’ preference for online, rather than face-to-face, social interaction plays an important role in the development of negative consequences associated with problematic Internet use.

Problematic Internet use and psychosocial well-being among MMO players

The current study examined problematic Internet use (PIU) among people who play MMO games and sought to determine whether aspects of the MMO experience are useful predictors of PIU. The study sought to determine whether game-related variables could predict PIU scores after accounting for their relationships with psychosocial well-being. Novel methods allowed us, for the first time, to connect in-game behaviors with survey results of over 4000 MMO players. The results revealed that MMO gaming variables contributed a substantively small, but statistically significant amount of explained variance to PIU scores.

Bringing theory to research on computer-mediated comforting communication

Abstract The current paper sought to advance the literature on computer-mediated emotional support by outlining a candidate theory of online comforting communication. We present a model that explicates the discursive, cognitive, and affective processes that function to reduce emotional distress and help improve one’s psychosocial well-being. We identify unique attributes of online social interaction, as compared to face-to-face (FtF) interaction, that may be especially useful for facilitating empathic and adaptive comforting communication. Additionally, we explain how unique features of computer-mediated comforting communication may work to facilitate the cognitive and affective processes that result in alleviation of emotional distress. Final sections of the paper advance research questions and hypotheses to guide future empirical research examining the efficacy of online emotional support.

Social anxiety and computer-mediated communication during initial interactions: Implications for the hyperpersonal perspective

The study examined how the reduced nonverbal cues characteristic of computer-mediated communication (CMC) moderated the potentially negative interpersonal outcomes of social anxiety in initial interactions. Hypotheses predicted that CMC would mitigate the extent to which social anxiety caused interpersonal perceptions of anxiety and that CMC would attenuate the negative association between ones social anxiety and ones partners conversational satisfaction. A sample (N=206) of undergraduate students were paired in unacquainted dyads and then engaged in initial interaction conversations in either a face-to-face (FtF) or CMC context. The researchers measured social anxiety before the conversation and a number of outcomes after the conversation. The results revealed that CMC is a significant contingent condition to the association between social anxiety and ones partners perception of this anxiety and a contingent condition to the association between social anxiety and ones partners conversational satisfaction.

A cognitive-behavioral model of problematic online gaming in adolescents aged 12-22years

The aim of this study was to apply the cognitive behavioral model of problematic Internet use to the context of online game use to obtain a better understanding of problematic use of online games and its negative consequences. In total, 597 online game playing adolescents aged 12-22years participated in this study. Results showed that the cognitive behavioral model of problematic Internet use can also be used in the context of online game use. More specifically, preference for online social interaction, mood regulation and deficient self-regulation appeared to play an important role in predicting negative outcomes from problematic online game use. Together, these cognitions and behaviors explained 79% of the variance of negative outcomes scores. These findings can be used to develop strategies that aim at reducing problematic online game behavior and its negative consequences.

Beyond Excessive Use: The Interaction between Cognitive and Behavioral Symptoms of Problematic Internet Use

The purpose of this study was to demonstrate that problematic Internet use involves more than simply an excessive amount of time spent online. Participants completed self-report measures of excessive Internet use, cognitive preoccupation with the Internet, and the extent to which they experienced negative outcomes due to their Internet use. Results revealed that the association between excessive Internet use and its negative outcomes is moderated by cognitive preoccupation. The results illustrate the usefulness of including cognitive variables in studies of problematic Internet use rather than relying solely on variables measuring Internet consumption.

The Role of Facework in Younger and Older Adults' Evaluations of Social Support Messages

Two studies assessed younger and older adults’ evaluations of emotional‐ and instrumental‐support messages. Specifically, these studies investigated (a) individuals’ perceptions of support messages that consisted of multiple politeness strategies and face threats, and (b) the ways in which particular types of supportive speech acts (i.e., giving advice, offers of assistance, and expressions of concern) were perceived as more or less helpful and sensitive to recipients’ face needs. Overall, there were both similarities and differences in how older and younger adults viewed these support messages. Across age groups, the type of speech act and positive‐politeness strategy employed were the most influential predictors of the perceived helpfulness and face sensitivity of a support message. However, positive‐politeness strategies were more influential on the ratings by younger participants than they were on evaluations by older adults. Surprisingly, across both age groups, negative‐politeness strategies seemed ...

Positive metacognitions about Internet use: The mediating role in the relationship between emotional dysregulation and problematic use

The present study hypothesized that two specific positive metacognitions about Internet use (i.e. the belief that Internet use is useful in regulating negative emotions and the belief that it affords greater controllability) mediate the association between emotional dysregulation and problematic Internet use (PIU). A total of 293 undergraduate university students (male 48.4%; mean age=21.73+2.17) participated in the study. The assessed structural model produced adequate fit to the data (χ(2)=203.76; df=81; p<.001; RMSEA [90% CI]=.07 [.06-.08]; CFI=.95; SRMR=.08). Variables accounted for 46% of the variance in PIU levels. A partial mediation model in which emotional dysregulation predicted PIU levels through positive metacognitions associated with Internet use was found. The presence of a direct relationship between emotional dysregulation and PIU was also detected. Moreover, the study found that emotional dysregulation might drive symptoms of PIU to a greater extent than high negative emotionality.

Acquisition of message‐production skill by younger and older adults: Effects of age, task complexity, and practice

This study investigated the impact of age, task complexity, and practice on adult message‐production‐skill acquisition and performance. Participants (30 older adults and 30 college students) learned a sequence for describing geometric arrays and then employed this organizing sequence in a series of 90 performance trials. Half of the participants learned a six‐step (high task‐complexity) sequence, while the remaining participants learned a three‐step (low task‐complexity) sequence for describing the arrays. The results suggest that overall message‐production speed is characterized by a “complexity effect” (i.e., an interaction between age and task complexity such that younger adults exhibited superior performance relative to their older counterparts, and this difference was more pronounced under complex‐task conditions). Complexity effects were also found for initial message‐production‐skill performance and rate of skill acquisition: older adults exhibited slower initial performance and slower rates of ski...