Are smartphones really that bad?:Improving the psychological measurement of technology-related behaviors

Understanding how people use technology remains important, particularly when measuring the impact this might have on individuals and society. To date, research within psychological science often frames new technology as problematic with overwhelmingly negative consequences. However, this paper argues that the latest generation of psychometric tools, which aim to assess smartphone usage, are unable to capture technology related experiences or behaviors. As a result, many conclusions concerning the psychological impact of technology use remain unsound. Current assessments have also failed to keep pace with new methodological developments and these data-intensive approaches challenge the notion that smartphones and related technologies are inherently problematic. The field should now consider how it might re-position itself conceptually and methodologically given that many ‘addictive’ technologies have long since become intertwined with daily life

Determining typical smartphone usage:What data do we need?

Problematic smartphone use is an emerging issue in behavioural addiction research. At the same time, measuring smartphone use with mobile apps has become increasingly common. However, understanding how much data is necessary requires careful consideration if the field is to move forward. Here, we examine how much time should be spent measuring mobile phone operation in order to reliably infer general patterns of usage and repetitive checking behaviours. In a second analysis, we consider whether a self-report measure of problematic smartphone use is associated with real-time patterns of use. Results suggest that smartphone usage collected for a minimum of five days will reflect typical weekly usage (in hours), but habitual checking behaviours (uses lasting less than 15 seconds) can be reliably inferred within two days. These measurements did not reliably correlate with a self-reported measure. We conclude that patterns of smartphone use are repetitive and our results suggest that checking behaviour is a particularly consistent and efficient measure when quantifying typical and problematic smartphone usage

Failing to encourage physical activity with wearable technology:what next?

Wearable devices and associated systems that provide real-time feedback aim to encourage healthy behaviours. However, while the research base has grown considerably, results continue to paint a mixed picture when demonstrating wearables’ ability to increase levels of physical activity. Given these recent developments, this commentary explores the key reasons why wearable devices and other mobile technologies often fail to change behaviour. We also provide several suggestions that could feed into future research designs and maximise the success of subsequent interventions. These recommendations aim to stimulate interdisciplinary discussions by encouraging clinicians and researchers to consider how these technological advances can be effectively leveraged, and become a core component of preventative medicine in the 21st century

A simple location-tracking app for psychological research

Location data gathered from a variety of sources is particularly valuable when it comes to understanding individuals and groups. However, much of this work relies on participants’ active engagement to regularly report their location. More recently, smartphones have been used to assist with this process, but while commercial smartphone applications are available, these are often expensive and not designed with researchers in mind. In order to overcome these and other related issues, we have developed a freely available Android application that logs location accurately, stores data securely, and ensures participants can provide consent or withdraw from a study at any time. Further recommendations and R code are provided to assist with subsequent data analysis

Opening Pandora’s Box:Peeking inside psychology’s data sharing practices, and seven recommendations for change

Open data-sharing is a valuable practice that ought to enhance the impact, reach and transparency of a research project. While widely advocated by many researchers and mandated by some journals and funding agencies, little is known about detailed practices across psychological science. In a pre-registered study, we show that overall, few research papers directly link to available data in many, though not all, journals. Most importantly, even where open data can be identified, the majority of these lacked completeness and reusability - conclusions that closely mirror those reported outside of Psychology. Exploring the reasons behind these findings, we offer seven specific recommendations for engineering and incentivizing improved practices, so that the potential of open data can be better realized across psychology and social science more generally

Missed GP appointments linked to higher risk of death

Iacobucci points out that missed GP appointments have been the subject of intense political interest, much of it misleading and designed to blame “feckless” patients.1 In a recent article in BMC Medicine, we described an extremely strong association between repeatedly missing appointments and a greatly increased risk of mortality independent of the presence of known long term conditions.2 These findings persist after correcting for the number of appointments made. Around 5% of patients who missed more than two appointments a year over a three year period had died within a year of follow-up. The increased risk of all cause mortality shows a dose based response with increasing number of missed appointments. Patients with long term mental health conditions who missed more than two appointments a year were over eight times more likely to die (all cause mortality) than were those who missed no appointments. These patients died prematurely, commonly from non-natural external factors such as suicide. Missed appointments are a major risk marker for all cause mortality, particularly in patients with mental health conditions. For these patients, existing primary healthcare appointment systems may be ineffective. Clinicians (and politicians) should carefully consider the causes of repeated missed appointments rather than ascribing blame

Brany Liouville Inflation

We present a specific model for cosmological inflation driven by the Liouville field in a non-critical supersymmetric string framework, in which the departure from criticality is due to open strings stretched between the two moving Type-II 5-branes. We use WMAP and other data on fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background to fix parameters of the model, such as the relative separation and velocity of the 5-branes, respecting also the constraints imposed by data on light propagation from distant gamma-ray bursters. The model also suggests a small, relaxing component in the present vacuum energy that may accommodate the breaking of supersymmetry.Comment: 23 pages LATEX, two eps figures incorporated; version accepted for publication in NJ