week 8: technology

Question 1

what does technology help with?

Answer 1

• making things easier
• health, travel, staying connected
• advances changes our expectations

Question 2

when one uses smartphone and video games, what causes dopamine release (study)?

Answer 2

• dopamine gets released by
  novelty: learning
  surprises
  accomplishing goals
  moving towards goals: being 66% of the way done

Question 3

what did the technology and addiction study find? what are the brain parts involved with tech addiction?

Answer 3

• smart phone addicts
  reduced impulse control
• reduced ACC
• reduced PFC gray matter (cell bodies)
  mPFC: process inner self
  DLPFC: social decisions
• online gaming addicts
• reduced gray matter
  orbitofrontal cortex: reward, decision-making, learning
  insula: insulate pain, bodily sensations

Question 4

multitasking study

Answer 4

• switching attention requires prefrontal cortex
• undermines productivity
  even if it may feel like you’re being productive (quality worsens)

3 groups
- single task, single task
- single “, multi “
- single “, choice “

• performance increases -> single, single
• undermines happiness
  people are happier if multitasking over long period of time rather than short
  variety throughout day (happy)
  variety throughout 1 hour (less happy)

Question 5

physical impact of technology

Answer 5

• reduced exercise
• increased pain
  headache
  posture problems
  back pain
  carpal tunnel syndrome
• sleep problems
  disrupts circadian rhythm

Question 6

what did the gamification study imply? what are the benefits and scientific reasoning?

Answer 6

• activity monitoring during gamification
  relies on nucleus accumbens (wanting rewards/points)
  heart rate monitor (pedometer): pokemon go
• sleep monitoring
  can also cause sleep problems
  hyperaware of sleep schedule -> can’t sleep

Question 7

what are the benefits of being emotional self aware?

Answer 7

• mood-mapping app in 13-24 yr olds
• self monitoring increases emotional self-awareness (ESA)
  decreases depressive symptoms

Question 8

pros and cons of access to healthcare and information online?

Answer 8

• access to providers (online)
• internet-based CBT
• cyberchondria
  health anxiety and constant search of info online

Question 9

3 types of memory?

Answer 9

• long term
  hippocampus
• working memory: short-term memory
  dorsolateral PFC
• muscle memory
  requires little to no thought
  striatum

Question 10

technology and relationship study discovered what?

Answer 10

can facilitate real connections but also disconnect people
- presence of phone on table impacts closeness, connection, and conversation quality
- no effect on casual conversations
- effect on important conversations

Question 11

what is culture of availability?

Answer 11

• FOMO
  benefits
• stay connected
• peace of mind
• unexpected messages are exciting
  problems
  cons
• always connected
• unimportant interruptions
• signals to people that they’re less important

Question 12

what does the facebook and life satisfaction study show?

Answer 12

• FB use predicts negative shifts on both feelings and life satisfaction
• relationship between FB and depressive symptoms are mediated by social comparisons

Question 13

what does the online support study find?

Answer 13

• compared 3 months of internet support group with internet self-help
• all groups improved equally at 3 months
• ONLINE support is better than self-help in the long term (6-12 months)

Question 14

what are some benefits to social media?

Answer 14

• managing profile can lead to greater self esteem
• selectivity in information that is shared can improve mental health