Constant connection: College students’ smartphones attachment and close relationship attachments across domains

This study aims to conceptualize the way individuals, more notably college students and emerging adults, use their smartphones, applying an attachment framework. Recently, research has shifted from using vocabulary akin to addiction, and researchers are beginning to see similarities and consistencies in how individuals relate to their phones and how attachment was originally conceptualized in the infant-mother relationship. Moreover, research is moving away from considering attachment as categorical, and is instead considering it continuous, and as varying in domains from individual to individual. This research used a new assessment tool (the YAPS) to assess college students’ attachment to phones, their important relationship attachments (ECR-RS) and their perceived relationship quality (PRQC). Research found that though many important relationship domains, notably parents, were related to smartphone attachment; however, there was no relationship between smartphone attachment and perceived relationship quality or its constructs. Future research should aim to validate the biological attachment between humans and smartphones, as well as tease out any impact smartphones and our attachments to them may have on relationships and our perception and threshold of intimacy

Smartphones and Close Relationships: The Case for an Evolutionary Mismatch

This article introduces and outlines the case for an evolutionary mismatch between smartphones and the social behaviors that help form and maintain close social relationships. As psychological adaptations that enhance human survival and inclusive fitness, self-disclosure and responsiveness evolved in the context of small kin networks to facilitate social bonds, promote trust, and enhance cooperation. These adaptations are central to the development of attachment bonds, and attachment theory is a middle-level evolutionary theory that provides a robust account of the ways human bonding provides for reproductive and inclusive fitness. Evolutionary mismatches operate when modern contexts cue ancestral adaptations in a manner that does not provide for their adaptive benefits. We argue that smartphones and their affordances, although highly beneficial in many circumstances, cue humans' evolved needs for self-disclosure and responsiveness across broad virtual networks and, in turn, have the potential to undermine immediate interpersonal interactions. We review emerging evidence on the topic of technoference, which is defined as the ways in which smartphone use may interfere with or intrude into everyday social interactions. The article concludes with an empirical agenda for advancing the integrative study of smartphones, intimacy processes, and close relationships.This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

Attachment Theory as a Framework to Understand Relationships with Social Chatbots: A Case Study of Replika

With increasing adoption of AI social chatbots, especially during the pandemic-related lockdowns, when people lack social companionship, there emerges a need for in-depth understanding and theorizing of relationship formation with digital conversational agents. Following the grounded theory approach, we analyzed in-depth interview transcripts obtained from 14 existing users of AI companion chatbot Replika. The emerging themes were interpreted through the lens of the attachment theory. Our results show that under conditions of distress and lack of human companionship, individuals can develop an attachment to social chatbots if they perceive the chatbots’ responses to offer emotional support, encouragement, and psychological security. These findings suggest that social chatbots can be used for mental health and therapeutic purposes but have the potential to cause addiction and harm real-life intimate relationships

Mobile Phones in Schools: With or Without you? Comparison of Students' Anxiety Level and Class Engagement After Regular and Mobile-Free School Days

Mobile phones are important for people, especially for young adults and adolescents. As people tend to form attachments to not only social partners, but inanimate targets as well, mobile devices can become important objects that provide safety and security. This could lead to separation anxiety, also known as "nomophobia". Constant need for mobile use may result in problematic behaviors in schools, cause distraction in class, it is important to explore the students' relationship to devices. Our study compares state anxiety level of high school students on a regular school day and on an experimental "mobile-free day", when participants do not carry their mobile phones during classes. We hypothesized that separation from the mobiles would increase anxiety and decrease class engagement, especially in students with higher mobile attachment scores. The sample consisted of 235 secondary school students. Results of Repeated Measures ANCOVA showed that anxiety levels increased on the mobile-free school day, but class engagement was not affected by the experiment. Linear regression analysis revealed 'Safe Haven' mobile attachment to be a significant predictor of state anxiety on the mobile free school day. Moreover, correlation analysis revealed that mobile use habits linked to social media and instant message services were associated with higher anxiety scores on the mobile-free school day. Our results provide more insights on both use of mobile phones in learning environment and regarding school regulations of students' device use

Zephyr: A social psychology-based mobile application for long-distance romantic partners

Long-distance romantic relationships have become quite common nowadays. With CMC tools advancing day-by-day, their usage among LDRs is proliferating rapidly. Attachment-related anxiety and avoidance can block the ability to enjoy happy relationships. During such situations, remembering happy past moments can be comforting. In this study a mobile chat application that enables LDR couples to reminisce about happy moments was developed. This study primarily focuses on evaluating the usability of this mobile application using survey-based methods. System Usability Scale was considered to discuss the outcome of the study. The overall results provide useful recommendations for further improvements in the design of this application

The ideal companion: the role of mobile phone attachment in travel purchase intention

Mobile phones have become a highly personal tool for individuals and have revolutionized many aspects of travellers’ lives. Indeed, mobile phones can be considered an integral part of travellers’ trip routines, thus engendering strong feelings of attachment to them. Following the stimulus–organism– response model, this paper analyses how certain stimuli (travellers’ addiction to their device, perceived control, perceived entertainment, and subjective norms) influence travellers’ mobile phone attachment (MPA) and intention to purchase travel using the device. The results of this model show the importance of personal and environmental factors in increasing MPA and reveal how this attachment positively influences intention toward mobile shopping for travel-related purchases. This work proposes a model in both the mobile and travel contexts with MPA as the central variable. As such, this paper contributes to the academic literature and yields several recommendations for business practice.Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (ECO2017-82107-R)

The Effect of Smartphones on Anxiety: An Attachment Issue or Fear of Missing Out?

Previous research shows that college students tend to experience increased anxiety when they are separated from their smartphone. This anxiety has been suggested to be due to attachment, where college students have formed an attachment to their smartphone. Another explanation for this anxiety is the fear of missing out (FoMO), where college students experience worry when they cannot check in with their friends. No existing study to my knowledge has simultaneously examined the separate impact of attachment to phones and FoMO on anxiety levels, particularly during a stressful situation. The current study examines the separate and combined impacts of FoMO and attachment to phones on anxiety levels during a stressful situation. To induce anxiety, participants wrote a paragraph about a flaw of theirs and were told that they would be interviewed about this paragraph; however, the interview did not occur. Participants were assigned to two conditions – attachment, in which they were separated from their phone prior to the experiment, and FoMO, in which they either did or did not receive a phone call they were not able to answer. Participants’ anxiety levels were measured via the STAI at the end of the experiment. Overall, the results suggest that both FoMO and attachment play a role in creating anxiety among smartphone users. Understanding how smartphones influence anxiety is important in determining how to prevent people from developing unhealthy relationships with this device

The Effect of Smartphones on Anxiety: An Attachment Issue or Fear of Missing Out?

Previous research shows that college students tend to experience increased anxiety when they are separated from their smartphone. This anxiety has been suggested to be due to attachment, where college students have formed an attachment to their smartphone. Another explanation for this anxiety is the fear of missing out (FoMO), where college students experience worry when they cannot check in with their friends. No existing study to my knowledge has simultaneously examined the separate impact of attachment to phones and FoMO on anxiety levels, particularly during a stressful situation. The current study examines the separate and combined impacts of FoMO and attachment to phones on anxiety levels during a stressful situation. To induce anxiety, participants wrote a paragraph about a flaw of theirs and were told that they would be interviewed about this paragraph; however, the interview did not occur. Participants were assigned to two conditions – attachment, in which they were separated from their phone prior to the experiment, and FoMO, in which they either did or did not receive a phone call they were not able to answer. Participants’ anxiety levels were measured via the STAI at the end of the experiment. Overall, the results suggest that both FoMO and attachment play a role in creating anxiety among smartphone users. Understanding how smartphones influence anxiety is important in determining how to prevent people from developing unhealthy relationships with this device

The influence of parental smartphone use, eye contact and 'bystander ignorance' on child development

Peer reviewe

Rapport: A system designed to limit digital distraction within romantic relationships

Technology continues to take a more prominent role within our relationships. Although the Internet allows for more connectivity, it also disconnects people from family and friends in face-to-face situations. As mobile digital technologies continue to advance, they create more and more opportunities for distraction and overuse. With an ever-growing market of smart devices with enhanced abilities, it\u27s important that partners are aware of the implications of their use. To develop a deeper understanding of how digital technology impacts romantic relationships, a digital survey and two data collection studies were administered. Vital information was collected to further develop an understanding of the problems that exist between digital technology and romantic relationships. The data collected helped to outline how relevant digital distraction is within relationships. The data also clearly showed that every relationship is unique and that not every usage problem is the same. The information and data collected were used to create a design solution to help target the issue. Rapport is designed to help couples with their device usage challenges. It aims to help users identify their individual usage problems and understand how their usage might be affecting their romantic relationships. It also helps users establish realistic goals while developing long-term solutions. Rapport aims to promote positive communication, teach compromise and trust, and develop better device usage habits. The system contains three simple parts: the self- and partner-assessment pages, the Rapport usage tracking device, and the monthly analytic reports. Rapport is also aware of the users\u27 vicinity to their partners. When users are on their devices excessively in the presence of their partners, it helps remind them to disconnect. Rapport\u27s goal is to help minimize digital distraction and promote the importance of face-to-face interaction within romantic relationships