This study uniquely examined the effects on self, cognition, anxiety, and physiology when iPhone users are unable to answer their iPhone while performing cognitive tasks. A 2 x 2 within‐subjects ...experiment was conducted. Participants (N = 40 iPhone users) completed 2 word search puzzles. Among the key findings from this study were that when iPhone users were unable to answer their ringing iPhone during a word search puzzle, heart rate and blood pressure increased, self‐reported feelings of anxiety and unpleasantness increased, and self‐reported extended self and cognition decreased. These findings suggest that negative psychological and physiological outcomes are associated with iPhone separation and the inability to answer one's ringing iPhone during cognitive tasks. Implications of these findings are discussed.
Abstract
This study incorporated the dual-motivational theory with psychological reactance theory to investigate the cognitive and emotional responses that unfold when audience members encounter a ...freedom-threatening message and experience psychological reactance. A total of 100 college-aged, daily e-cigarette users were purposively recruited and randomly assigned to view four, 30-second anti-vaping public service announcements (PSAs) in random presentation featuring either dogmatic or suggestive language. As expected, daily e-cigarette users in the dogmatic anti-vaping PSA condition self-reported greater unpleasantness, freedom threat, psychological reactance, and behavioral intentions to use e-cigarettes than daily e-cigarette users in the suggestive anti-vaping PSA condition. Daily e-cigarette users in the dogmatic anti-vaping PSA condition also had greater defensive motivational reactivity during message exposure as indicated by greater corrugator muscle activation, skin conductivity levels, and less heart rate deceleration than daily e-cigarette users in the suggestive anti-vaping PSA condition. Taken together, this study provides substantial evidence of the psychophysiological and defensive nature of psychological reactance theory.
Similar to effects identified with traditional media forms, recent evidence indicates that body image concerns, such as body dissatisfaction and drive for thinness, may also be associated with ...exposure to images on Social Networking Sites. Utilizing social comparison theory, the current study sought to examine the relationship between female university students' photo-based activities on Instagram, which is a relatively new Social Networking Site, appearance-related comparisons, and two outcome variables: drive for thinness and body dissatisfaction. Mediational analyses using bootstrapping methods indicated that Instagram photo-based activities positively predicted both drive for thinness and body dissatisfaction through the mediating variable of appearance-related comparisons. These results suggest that Instagram use could be potentially harmful to individuals who find themselves frequently engaging in comparisons with others. Additionally, utilizing the intrasexual competition framework, the second aim of this study was to determine whether individual differences in competitiveness for mates influenced individual tendencies to engage in appearance-related comparisons on Instagram. A significant positive relationship emerged between intrasexual competitiveness for mates and appearance-related comparisons on Instagram. Theoretical and applied implications from these findings are discussed.
•Surveyed undergraduate students on Instagram photo activities as the predictor variable.•Appearance-related comparisons was the mediator variable and intrasexual competition was the moderator variable.•Drive for thinness and body dissatisfaction were criteria.•Significant mediating effect for both criteria was found.•Adds to the body of literature pertaining to body image concerns and SNS use.
The purpose of this study was to examine how social networking site (SNS) use, specifically Twitter use, influences negative interpersonal relationship outcomes. This study specifically examined the ...mediational effect of Twitter-related conflict on the relationship between active Twitter use and negative relationship outcomes, and how this mechanism may be contingent on the length of the romantic relationship. A total of 581 Twitter users aged 18 to 67 years (Mage=29, SDage=8.9) completed an online survey questionnaire. Moderation-mediation regression analyses using bootstrapping methods indicated that Twitter-related conflict mediated the relationship between active Twitter use and negative relationship outcomes. The length of the romantic relationship, however, did not moderate the indirect effect on the relationship between active Twitter use and negative relationship outcomes. The results from this study suggest that active Twitter use leads to greater amounts of Twitter-related conflict among romantic partners, which in turn leads to infidelity, breakup, and divorce. This indirect effect is not contingent on the length of the romantic relationship. The current study adds to the growing body of literature investigating SNS use and romantic relationship outcomes.
This study tests the hypothesis that defensive message processing, like defensive behaviors in the real world, has two directions, fight-and-flight. The Limited Capacity Model of Motivated Mediated ...Message Processing (LC4MP) characterizes defensive message processing by increases in unpleasantness and arousal reports, and accelerated heart rate indicating either a focus on internal processing (internal thoughts) or the active withdrawal of cognitive resources from processing highly arousing and unpleasant media messages. However, the LC4MP has not included direct measures that allow discrimination between fight-and-flight responses. Psychological reactance theory (PRT) predicts defensive responses including anger and counterarguments (reactance) when media messages threaten viewers' freedom and autonomy. We hypothesized that PRT provides the LC4MP with the appropriate measures (anger and counterarguments) needed to discriminate fight-or-flight responses. Results supported this prediction. Participants (N = 49 adult-smokers) high in defensive and low in appetitive reactivity (risk-avoiders) withdrew from the message (fled: characterized by low anger and counterarguments) while those high in appetitive and low in defensive reactivity (risk-takers) experienced reactance (fought: characterized by high anger and counterarguments) in response to freedom threatening antitobacco messages that are highly arousing and unpleasant. Moreover, both reactance and message withdrawal yielded the same cognitive, emotional, and physiological responses predicted by the LC4MP as indicators of defensive message processing. Theoretical and message design recommendations are discussed.
Exposure to music has been found to evoke temporal comparisons and reminiscing processes. However, little yet is known about how temporal comparisons and reminiscing influence cognitive processing of ...music and subsequent radio advertisements. The current study expands this research by examining how young adults cognitively process familiar and unfamiliar songs and subsequently placed radio advertisements. Results indicated that familiar songs generated greater self-reported temporal comparisons and reminiscing compared to unfamiliar songs. Moreover, temporal comparisons and reminiscing processes reduced cognitive resources allocated to encoding familiar songs and subsequently placed radio advertisements. The theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed.
Abstract
This study tested Psychological Reactance Theory and the Limited Capacity Model of Motivated Mediated Message Processing by examining participants’ (N = 155 young adult, ever-vapers) ...cognitive and affective responses to anti-vaping public service announcements (PSAs) featuring dogmatic or suggestive language. Ever-vapers in the dogmatic PSA condition were predicted to report greater perceived freedom threats, anger and counterarguments, and intentions to vape relative to ever-vapers in the suggestive PSA condition. This study also examined how counterarguing, as the cognitive component of psychological reactance, influences available cognitive resources and encoding of message content. The results indicated that ever-vapers in the dogmatic PSA condition reported significantly greater freedom threats and state psychological reactance but not intentions to vape relative to ever-vapers in the suggestive PSA condition. Moreover, counterarguing dogmatic anti-vaping PSAs resulted in fewer available cognitive resources for encoding as evidenced by slower Secondary Task Reaction Times (STRTs) and reduced encoding of message content. The results from this study provide considerable theoretical and practical implications while advancing the STRT measure.
This study experimentally investigated the effect of dogmatic and suggestive language in Christian-sourced excessive alcohol consumption messages among college-aged participants who identify as ...Christians or non-Christians, as well as the role of perceived similarity with the message source, on their self-reported freedom-threat, psychological reactance, and behavioral intentions to consume alcohol. The results from this study support psychological reactance theory and demonstrate the various message strategies to effectively communicate the negative health effects of excessive alcohol consumption to individuals who identify either as Christians or non-Christians.This study experimentally investigated the effect of dogmatic and suggestive language in Christian-sourced excessive alcohol consumption messages among college-aged participants who identify as Christians or non-Christians, as well as the role of perceived similarity with the message source, on their self-reported freedom-threat, psychological reactance, and behavioral intentions to consume alcohol. The results from this study support psychological reactance theory and demonstrate the various message strategies to effectively communicate the negative health effects of excessive alcohol consumption to individuals who identify either as Christians or non-Christians.
The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between using the social networking site known as Facebook and negative interpersonal relationship outcomes. A survey of 205 ...Facebook users aged 18-82 was conducted using a 16-question online survey to examine whether high levels of Facebook use predicted negative relationship outcomes (breakup/divorce, emotional cheating, and physical cheating). It was hypothesized that those with higher levels of Facebook use would demonstrate more negative relationship outcomes than those with lower use. The study then examined whether these relationships were mediated by Facebook-related conflict. Furthermore, the researchers examined length of relationship as a moderator variable in the aforementioned model. The results indicate that a high level of Facebook usage is associated with negative relationship outcomes, and that these relationships are indeed mediated by Facebook-related conflict. This series of relationships only holds for those who are, or have been, in relatively newer relationships of 3 years or less. The current study adds to the growing body of literature investigating Internet use and relationship outcomes, and may be a precursor to further research investigating whether Facebook use attributes to the divorce rate, emotional cheating, and physical cheating.
During individual laboratory sessions, 49 women with an actual-ideal self-discrepancy randomly viewed 12 images of media fashion models varying in body types. Heart rate was recorded during image ...exposure. Self-report social comparisons and body satisfaction were measured following exposure to each image. A visual recognition test was administered following the last image. The results indicated that women reported the greatest body satisfaction and the least amount of social comparisons when viewing plus size models, but body satisfaction decreased and social comparisons increased when viewing average sized followed by thin size models. Further, as social comparisons increased (e.g., internal processing), external resource allocation and encoding decreased. The theoretical and applied implications from these findings are discussed.