Can videogames be addicting? An investigation into the specific game features and personal characteristics associated with problematic videogame playing

The number of individuals who play videogames has increased dramatically in recent years. Unsurprisingly, the frequency with which patients seek psychotherapeutic services to help cope with problematic videogame playing (PVGP) behaviors has also risen. Thus, explorations into the specific characteristics of PVGP are essential now more than ever before. However, the current state of the literature primarily relies on comparisons between PVGP and pathological gambling, utilizing modified measures of the latter to assess the former. To date, no studies have attempted to adapt the diagnostic criteria for substance use disorder (SUD) in an effort to understand PVGP within the context of addiction. Further, few studies have explored the specific game characteristics and individual factors that contribute to the presence of PVGP. The current study sought to address these questions by adapting the SUD criteria to address videogame-related behavior via a measure labeled as the Videogame Addiction Scale (VGAS). Comparisons of the psychometrics and criterion validity of the VGAS and leading measures of PVGP suggested the former was superior. Further, results indicated that higher levels of addiction were present in players who prefer the MMORPG and Shooter genres over all other types of games, with the former yielding significantly higher VGAS scores than the latter. Further, many of the structural characteristics of videogames were considered to be more enjoyable, important, and associated with longer playtimes for individuals with higher “addiction” scores than their low scoring counterparts. Lastly, a model of videogame addiction was generated that aligns with the current literature on substance use disorders. Specifically, impulsivity, maladaptive coping, weekly playtime, and particular structural characteristics all seem to relate to videogame addiction

Security and Online learning: to protect or prohibit

The rapid development of online learning is opening up many new learning opportunities. Yet, with this increased potential come a myriad of risks. Usable security systems are essential as poor usability in security can result in excluding intended users while allowing sensitive data to be released to unacceptable recipients. This chapter presents findings concerned with usability for two security issues: authentication mechanisms and privacy. Usability issues such as memorability, feedback, guidance, context of use and concepts of information ownership are reviewed within various environments. This chapter also reviews the roots of these usability difficulties in the culture clash between the non-user-oriented perspective of security and the information exchange culture of the education domain. Finally an account is provided of how future systems can be developed which maintain security and yet are still usable

Integrating States, Traits, and a Dual-process Approach with Criminal Decision-making Literature: Theoretical and Methodological Advancements

When assessing what factors promote or deter criminal behavior, theories have primarily focused on: 1) distal, individual differences or 2) proximal, decision-making factors about perceived costs and benefits. By remaining independent, each approach limits its explanatory power. Methodologically, one of the primary ways of assessing criminal decision-making in the psychological literature is the written vignette approach. However, hypothetical scenarios may not accurately represent the circumstances under which people make real-life decisions, creating a potential intention-behavior gap. Furthermore, researchers tend to use closed-ended questions that assess factors that are deemed relevant to criminal decision-making, rather than allowing participants to naturally recall factors they themselves deemed important to their decision-making. Collectively, these limitations reduce the ecological validity of theories derived from such studies. Through a series of observational and experimental studies, this doctoral thesis advances the literature by integrating psychological and criminological theory. I align proximal with dual-process decision-making perspectives by including determinants such as emotions and norms and combine it with important individual differences. This thesis also offers novel methodological advancements by contrasting vignettes against immersive virtual reality and closed vs. open-ended responses. Using a large-scale survey, I first established a relationship between trait self-control, a dual-process model of decision-making, and criminal behavior. The results of which indicated that intuitive decision-making (traditionally unmodelled) is associated with criminal behavior (Chapter Two; McClanahan et al., 2019). Secondly, using a standard experimental ego-depletion task, I sought to examine how state self-control directly and indirectly influenced criminal behavior. Although participants were successfully depleted, there was no main effect of ego-depletion on criminal behavior. However, while perceived risk, a central tenant of the rational model, predicted criminal behavior for non-depleted participants, it did not predict criminal behavior for depleted participants (Chapter Three; McClanahan & van der Linden, 2020). Finally in a series of studies comparing virtual reality and video presentation of a vignette to traditional written methods, I examined how immersion, rather than imagination, influenced criminal behavior when self-control was depleted and what factors individuals naturally consider when making decisions around criminal behavior. Replicating the findings of Chapter Three, compared to control groups, depleted participants were no more likely to indicate criminal behavior when using virtual reality (Chapter Four), nor was there a difference in criminal behavior when compared to the traditional written method (Chapter Four) or videos (Chapter Five). Participants that either saw a video or experienced the vignette in virtual reality indicated a significantly greater subjective presence than participants that read the same vignette (Chapter Four and Five). Additionally, while participants naturally consider factors that align with traditional proximal theories (e.g., getting arrested), they also naturally consider a number of factors that do not fit within such a perspective, such as state affect and norms which were better predictors of criminal behavior (Chapter Five). Theoretical and methodological implications for research and policy are discussed.N/

The Impact of Virtual Reality on the Experience of Exercise Pain

Exercise is essential for maintaining a healthy lifestyle, but intense or prolonged exercise can cause a degree of discomfort and pain. These negative exercise-based sensations have been considered as a limiter of exercise capacity and a potential barrier to physical activity. In recent years, computer technology has brought to light new opportunities for promoting physical activity. Virtual Reality (VR) is a representative example of this type of technology, since it allows users to experience a computer-simulated reality with visual, auditory, tactile and olfactory interactions, and distract them from perceiving nociceptive signals and pain. The present thesis aims to identify whether and how VR with or without psychological intervention strategies may affect the perception of Exercise Pain (EP). These questions are answered through a series of studies conducted on a large group of participants. As a first step, the effect VR might have on EP during a weight-lifting exercise in comparison to a non-VR weight-lifting exercise is investigated. Then, the effect that personal awareness and internal sensations might have on VR technology during weight-lifting EP is examined. Lastly, the effect of VR and different psychological intervention strategies on weight-lifting EP is considered through three studies. The findings of the present thesis extend our understanding of the physiological and psychological effects of VR, providing useful insights into the relationship of VR with the Heart Rate, the perception of task difficulty and the levels of pain and discomfort caused by an exhaustive muscle contraction. The main conclusion reached is that the use of VR during exercise can reduce physiological and psychological responses associated with negative sensations. This conclusion can be used as an informative input for the design of VR so that it can increase the level of physical activity and, by extension, promote a healthier lifestyle

Roots Reloaded. Culture, Identity and Social Development in the Digital Age

This edited volume is designed to explore different perspectives of culture, identity and social development using the impact of the digital age as a common thread, aiming at interdisciplinary audiences. Cases of communities and individuals using new technology as a tool to preserve and explore their cultural heritage alongside new media as a source for social orientation ranging from language acquisition to health-related issues will be covered. Therefore, aspects such as Art and Cultural Studies, Media and Communication, Behavioral Science, Psychology, Philosophy and innovative approaches used by creative individuals are included. From the Aboriginal tribes of Australia, to the Maoris of New Zealand, to the mystical teachings of Sufi brotherhoods, the significance of the oral and written traditions and their current relation to online activities shall be discussed in the opening article. The book continues with a closer look at obesity awareness support groups and their impact on social media, Facebook usage in language learning context, smartphone addiction and internet dependency, as well as online media reporting of controversial ethical issues. The Digital progress has already left its dominating mark as the world entered the 21st century. Without a doubt, as technology continues its ascent, society will be faced with new and altering values in an effort to catch-up with this extraordinary Digitization, adapt satisfactorily in order to utilize these strong developments in everyday life

Reconfiguring the reader : convergence and participation in modern young adult fantasy fiction

PhD ThesisThis thesis explores digital-age literary and reading practices as they were influenced by participatory culture at the turn of the century. Participatory culture is analysed here through the work of Henry Jenkins, Hans Heino Ewers, Margaret Mackey and Katy Varnelis and is recognised as one in which individuals are socially connected to each other in an environment that offers support for creating and sharing interpretations and original works. It has relatively low barriers to artistic expression and civic participation, and fosters the sense of community growing around people’s common interests and ideologies, as expressed through performative manifestations such as gaming and fandom. Because juvenile fantasy fiction generally, and J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series (1997-2007) specifically, were at the centre of significant developments in response to participatory culture, Rowling’s books are used as a case study on the basis of which changing practices of reading, writing and interpretation of story, principally by children and young people, are mapped and appraised. One aim of this thesis is to evaluate how far participatory culture has affected what it means to be a reader of a text that exists in multiple formats: how each version of the text constructs and addresses its readers/viewers/players/co-creators, and the dynamics and interdependence between the different versions. A second but related aim is to test the claims of new media theorists, including Janet Murray, Pierre Lévy and Marie-Laure Ryan, among others, to establish how far texts, readers and the processes of reading have in fact changed. Specifically, it looks at how far the promises of reader participation and co-creation have been fulfilled, especially within the genre of children’s literature

User-Enacted Determinants of Presence: Sound Effects and Feedback in Multiplayer Console Gameplay

A 1 x 2 multivariate analysis of covariance was conducted to assess the influence of auditory feedback on presence in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. 41 participants were assigned to a gameplay treatment condition of muted audio or sound effects only. Dependent variables were measured by the Self-Assessment Manikin, ITC-Sense of Presence Inventory, and Temple Presence Inventory. Covariates included familiarity with controls, visuospatial working memory, the Immersive Tendencies Questionnaire, recent gameplay experience, computer opponent difficulty level, age, sex, and handedness. A significant multivariate effect of treatment condition was observed, but further results were inconclusive. Possible explanations and reliability analyses are discussed.Master of Science in Information Scienc

Human-Computer Interaction

In this book the reader will find a collection of 31 papers presenting different facets of Human Computer Interaction, the result of research projects and experiments as well as new approaches to design user interfaces. The book is organized according to the following main topics in a sequential order: new interaction paradigms, multimodality, usability studies on several interaction mechanisms, human factors, universal design and development methodologies and tools

Implicit Social Influence

Thesis (PhD) - Indiana University, Psychology, 2007Previous research has shown that people hold two kinds of attitudes, explicit attitudes, which are voluntary evaluations of things, and implicit attitudes, which are automatic evaluations that occur spontaneously and are difficult or impossible to control. Prior work has shown that social influence, whether it is intentional persuasion or incidental influence, usually leads the recipient of the influence to change his or her attitudes to be closer to the attitudes of the source of the influence. This work has focused on the effect of the explicit attitudes of the source of influence but ignored the possible effect of the source's implicit attitudes. Three studies examine the independent effect of the source's implicit attitude on a recipient in different social influence settings. In the first study, the implicit and explicit attitudes of a source towards a target were measured, and in the second two studies the implicit and explicit attitudes of the source were manipulated. In the first study, the recipient watched the source give a persuasive message about the target, in the second study the source described the target directly to the recipient, and in the third study, the recipient watched the source interacting with the target. Results revealed that implicit attitudes have an influence on a recipient, but in unexpected ways. In the first study, the sources' implicit attitudes led to a contrast effect on the recipients' explicit attitudes. In the second and third study the manipulation of the sources' attitudes did not work as expected, and the influence of the sources' implicit attitudes on the recipient was not detected. Thus, a person's implicit attitudes can influence another person's attitudes, but they must be strong and possibly naturally occurring. The conditions in which implicit attitudes lead to influence deserve further research