Week Eleven Social Self and Technology and the Psychology of Health

Question 1

When was the internet born (e.g. who was one of first to propose thinking centre)

Answer 1

Licklider (1960) proposed database of centres connecting individuals to each other

Question 2

Explain what is meant by community memory

Answer 2

First public computerised bulletin board set up in 1973 designed so people could sell things and get work

Question 3

What was ‘the WELL’ and when did it claim its first virtual community?

Answer 3

Hub for people to talk about things that claimed the first virtual community is 1985

Question 4

In what year was the amount of traffic going through FB even greater than what was going through google?

Answer 4

2010 -

Question 5

Facebook user stats from 2020 and 2012

Answer 5

2.60 billion users worldwide
1.73 billion users daily
3, 500, 000, 000 pieces info shared each week

Question 6

Define self-projection (Pempek et al. (2009) and its benefits in a social-media focussed world

Answer 6

Ability to orient the self in different places in time and space, greater control over image one projects of themselves

Question 7

What were the two modes of online interaction differentiated by Underwood et al. (2011)?

Answer 7

1. Communicators
2. Broadcasters
   - low quality interactions
   - high impression management

Question 8

What were multiple functions for social networking sites than Joinson (2008) proposed?

Answer 8

Social connection
Shared identities (same interests)
Photographs
Content
Social network surfing
Status updates
Social investigation

Question 9

What personality type is most likely to use social networking sites?

Answer 9

Narcissists

Question 10

What did Capmbell & Foster (2007) say about narcissists?

Answer 10

Unrealistic sense of self
Seek relationships to enhance status and positive image

Question 11

What did Ibrahim (2009) say about social networking sites and their use for self-promotion?

Answer 11

Used to extend networks

Question 12

High levels of Facebook use are correlated with…

Answer 12

Extraversion (Correa, Willard-Hinsley & Gil de Zuniga, 2009)
Openness to experience (Ross et al., 2009)

Question 13

What did Ross et al. (2009) say specifically about neuroticism and online usage?

Answer 13

They use SNS more frequently because they can control info

Question 14

Facebook privacy

Answer 14

48% people had not altered their default privacy settings for greater security (Lampe, et al., 2008)
Many did not know their FB privacy settings or if they had changed them (Acquisti & Gross, 2006)

Question 15

What were the characteristics associated with narcissistic personality and online security?

Answer 15

Greater online activity
Lax privacy settings
More FB friends
Greater self-generated content e.g. profile pictures

Question 16

Contrast how introverts vs extroverts use SNS as social extension

Answer 16

Extroverts use it as a form of social extension
Introverts compensate for poorer social skills

Question 17

Which of the Big Five personality traits were correlated with no. FB friends someone had?

Answer 17

Extraversion
Neuroticism
Narcissism

Question 18

Which of the Big Five traits were most associated with more secure FB settings?

Question 19

Which of the Big Five traits were most associated with more secure FB settings?

Answer 19

High neuroticism

Question 20

Are models or stats more effective at describing social topics?

Answer 20

Models

Question 21

How do models describe how people high in extroversion use FB?

Answer 21

More likely to use social media = motive to use it makes them more likely to disclose more info = lack of privacy settings

Question 22

Describe the statistics surrounding the incidence of internet addiction

Answer 22

6 to 25% of population meet criteria for internet addiction (Weinstein & Lejoyeux, 2010)

Question 23

Although internet withdrawal was not related to less interpersonal contact, what was it related to?

Answer 23

Less time spent reading newspapers and watching TV (Bargh & McKenna, 2004)

Question 24

How can the internet act as a safety barrier for people with social anxiety?

Answer 24

Allows them to craft answers

Question 25

Define the ‘true self’

Answer 25

Person you believe you really are

Question 26

Why did Bargh et al. (2002) find participants are better at describing their real self online?

Answer 26

Anonymity may lead to greater willingness to disclose private topics

Question 27

What did Amichai-Hamburger et al. find in relation to the true self?

Answer 27

Those with high social anxiety and introversion located it online

Question 28

Following from Amichai-Hamburger’s finding about the true self, what did McKenna et al. find?

Answer 28

Anxiety decreased in individuals two years after they located their true self online

Question 29

Outline the two competing views of internet usage.

Answer 29

Global usage - offline behaviour predicts online behaviour
Deficiency - online interactions compensate for unsatisfactory offline interactions

Question 30

What did Hazan & Shaver find in relation to adult attachment style?

Answer 30

Correlation between adult attachment styles and their retrospective attachment to their parents

Question 31

What research has been found in relation to avoidant attachment and social network sites?

Answer 31

Avoidantly attached have…
- More online communication than secure attachment (Ye, 2007)
- Heavier use than secure or anxiously attachment (Zoppos, 2009)
- additionally no difference found between anxiously and securely attached

Question 32

What did the UOW study find about correlations between attachment styles and internet use?

Answer 32

Anxiously attached people tended to observe rather than interact (links w/stalking)
Negative correlation between avoidant and FB stalking (as one variable increases, other decreases)

Question 33

List two physiological definitions of stress

Answer 33

When organism is mobilised for action (Canon, 1929)
Activation of number of physiological systems (Seyle, 1956)

Question 34

How is stress defined from a cognitive perspective?

Answer 34

Perceived demands outweigh perceived resources

Question 35

What were the findings of Visintainer and Seligman (1985)? What were the wider findings?

Answer 35

Rats given inescapable shocks vs escapable ones twice as likely to develop cancer as adults
Stress lowers immune resistance

Question 36

What did Courtney et al., 1993 find in relation to workplace stress

Answer 36

Workers with history of workplace stress 5.5 times more likely to suffer from colon cancer even when other factors such as smoking taken into consideration

Question 37

What does the general adaptation syndrome seek to explain?

Answer 37

Might be generalised response to attack (illness) on an organism

Question 38

Describe the three stages of general adaptation syndrome

Answer 38

1. Alarm stage —> threat recognition, physiological arousal
2. Resistance stage –> body remains aroused, continued release of stress hormones
3. Exhaustion stage –> long-term stress responses damaging to body, P nervous S seeks to reduce stress responses

Question 39

What were the findings of Kobasa et al. in relation to resilience?

Answer 39

The 200+ executives under stress differed in their attitudes towards themselves (labelled this as hardiness)

Question 40

Characteristics of hardiness

Answer 40

Commitment
Seeing things as challenge rather than threat
Contro over working environment, power over future outcomes

Question 41

What did Langer & Rodin find in relation to nursing home residents?

Answer 41

Those given more control shown to be happier

Question 42

What did Scheier & Carver find that optimists blamed failures on?

Answer 42

External factors
Things that were temporary
Specific rather than generalised

Question 43

What findings have been made in relation to optimism and health?

Answer 43

Pessimistic explanations for base ballers’ career losses more likely to die earlier (Peterson & Seligman, 1987)
Optimistic people recovered faster from coronary bypass surgery (Scheier & Carver, 1992)

Question 44

What were the findings of a Scottish longitudinal study about IQ and health?

Answer 44

15 point increase in IQ related to 20% increase in longevity

Question 45

According to Lazarus’ cogntive appraisal model, what are primary appraisals?

Answer 45

Whether events are neutral, positive, or negative

Question 46

According to Lazarus’ cogntive appraisal model, what are secondary appraisals?

Answer 46

Assessment about whether there are sufficient resources to deal w/task at hand

Question 47

What is problem focussed coping mainly concerned with?

Answer 47

Directly addressing situation, belief that task can be achieved

Question 48

What is emotion focussed coping mainly concerned with?

Answer 48

Cannot alter situations, out of our control

Question 49

What were the key findings of Tice and Baumeister (1997)

Answer 49

High level procrastinators virtually stress free earlier in uni session
BUT greater stress and illness later in session

Question 50

What were the findings of the hostage study (Auerbach et al., 1994)?

Answer 50

Emotion based coping most effective as captives had little control over events

Question 51

What was the incidence of schizophrenia compared to Nottingham and Bristol?

Answer 51

DOUBLE