Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Cyberpsychology'

This study evaluates the feasibility and treatment acceptability of Virtual Reality (VR) technology applied universally in a school setting. A total of 105 children, mean age of 14.45, in five classrooms completed a paper and pencil measure of trait anxiety during Session 1. In Session 2, participants were randomly selected to participate in either a neutral environment or an anxiety-provoking environment and completed a measure of state anxiety immediately prior to and following their first VR exposure. Following the exposure participants also completed a Likert-Scaled questionnaire regarding treatment acceptability. In Session 3, participants completed Session 2 procedure in the alternate environment. There was a main effect of condition and time on state anxiety scores, controlling for trait anxiety. Participants in the anxiety provoking condition had lower mean state anxiety scores than being in the neutral condition; participants had lower state anxiety levels following the anxiety condition than they did following the neutral condition. All participants’ mean state anxiety levels were lower post exposure than pre exposure. There was also a borderline significant main effect of condition on treatment acceptability levels, controlling for trait anxiety. Participants in the neutral condition had a higher level of acceptability than when in the anxiety provoking condition. Results reveal that the implementation of VR technology exposure warrants further research.

High health anxiety has negative repercussions at the individual, interpersonal, and societal levels. According to cognitive behavioural theory, health anxiety is maintained, in part, by behavioural factors, termed safety behaviours. Health-related Internet use (HRIU) may be an important safety behaviour for some health anxious individuals. The Internet offers an abundance of health information, and opportunities to engage in health-related behaviours. Paper 1 aims to establish what is known about the relationship between health anxiety and HRIU. A systematic search was undertaken to identify studies that fell into five broad categories. The identified studies (N = 30) were then narratively reviewed, with an emphasis on methodological quality, and consideration also given to clinical implications and directions for future research. The review indicated that research to date has focused almost entirely on the relationship between health anxiety and using the Internet to obtain health information, termed online health research (OHR). Health anxiety appears associated with amount of, and emotional response to, OHR. The majority of existing studies are cross-sectional. Many use unvalidated measures of HRIU, and/or convenience samples recruited from universities or via commercial services. The Cyberchondria Severity Scale has potential clinical utility as a measure of a specific health anxiety maintenance cycle. However, there is a need for a more general instrument that can be used to assess various dimensions of HRIU in a validated manner. Paper 2 is a cross-sectional, correlational study of relationships between HRIU, health anxiety, and health service utilisation in a clinical, help-seeking sample. Participants were recruited from primary care practices, and completed questionnaire measures. Extent and nature of HRIU, and emotional and behavioural responses to HRIU, were measured using the Online Health Beliefs and Behaviour Inventory (OHBBI). The OHBBI is a recently developed measure that has undergone preliminary psychometric validation. OHBBI subscales explained 30% of variance in health anxiety, but did not improve prediction of self-reported service utilisation. A moderated regression indicated that the relationship between the Illness-Focused Searching subscale and health service utilisation varied as a function of health anxiety, with a negative relationship at low levels of health anxiety, and a positive relationship at high levels. This study provides further evidence of a role for HRIU in the maintenance of health anxiety, and advances the literature by using a validated measure of HRIU, a clinical sample, and well-controlled models. Paper 3 is a critical, reflective appraisal of the thesis as a whole. Methodological decisions, and their ramifications, are discussed in detail. The importance of the thesis is summarised, and implications for clinical practice and future research are revisited. The OHBBI requires further psychometric refinement. Longitudinal studies, and studies that use objective measures of service utilisation, are needed. Safety behaviours, including various forms of HRIU, may interact with each other to perpetuate health anxiety; such complex maintenance cycles merit empirical investigation.

As organizations have become more reliant on computers and technology to operate in a globalized world, they have also become more vulnerable to cyberattacks on their networks. The expense to organizations from cyberattacks now exceeds $400 billion USD annually. These costs highlight the need for behavioral research in the cyber domain. The first phase of this research developed an instrument to measure workers’ cybersecurity attitudes. An iterative process resulted in a scale with good psychometric properties - The Cybersecurity Attitudes Scale. The scale measures two factors: cyber policy adherence attitudes and perceived vulnerability to a cyberattack. The second phase of this research used the theory of planned behavior as a theoretical framework to model the relationship between personality facets, policy adherence attitudes, perceived vulnerability, locus of control, cybersecurity climate, and cybersecurity behaviors. While the hypothesized model had poor fit for the data, there was a strong relationship between cybersecurity attitudes (i.e. policy adherence attitudes and perceived vulnerability) and dutifulness, altruism, compliance, cybersecurity climate, and cybersecurity behavior. This research provides practical value to academic researchers and organizations by providing a scale to measure cybersecurity attitudes and to help organizations better understand the nature of the antecedents that lead to cybersecurity attitudes and behavior.

Cyber-security is an ever-increasing problem in the 21st century. Though the majority of cyber-security breaches are a direct result of human error (Hu, Dinev, Hart, & Cooke, 2012), there is a dearth of research in psychology on the application of human decision-making for cyber-security compliance. Through an online inbox simulation, the present research examined the utility of a robust psychological model for decision-making, signal detection theory (SDT) for modeling decision-making in the context of receiving and responding to phishing and spear-phishing email scams. The influence of individual differences, specifically conscientiousness, on phishing email detection was also examined. The results indicate that SDT is useful for modeling and measuring cyber-compliance behavior in terms of responding to phishing emails. This finding supports the feasibility of using SDT to monitor training effectiveness for individuals’ resistance to social engineering in phishing email detection. There were no significant relationships between participants’ scores on conscientiousness and their phishing and spear-phishing email detection ability. Future research should explore predictors of cyber-compliance with regards to individuals’ phishing and spear-phishing susceptibility.

Organizations have become increasingly concerned with developing and protecting their information security systems. Despite attempts to secure the information infrastructure, employees inside of organizations remain the largest source of threat to information cyber-security. While previous research has focused on behavioral and situational factors that influence cyber-security behaviors, the measurement of cyber behaviors and their relationship to other performance variables is poorly understood. The purpose of the present study is to 1) determine the underlying factor structure of a cyber-security behavior scale, 2) assess if individual personality traits predict four types of cyber-security behaviors: security assurance, security compliance, security risk, and security damaging behaviors, and 3) explore the relationship between citizenship and counterproductive work behaviors and cyber-security behaviors. Results indicate that cyber-security behavior can be separated into four distinct dimensions and that personality traits such as conscientiousness, agreeableness, and openness to experience are predictive of these behaviors. Additionally, positive cyber behaviors are related organizational citizenship behaviors, and potentially harmful cyber behaviors related to counterproductive work behaviors. This research has implications for using personality to predict cyber-security behaviors and reduce insider threat in the workplace.

Extensive computer use is creating a society where its citizens are communicating outside the norm of real life. These diversions from real life communication behavior have been named the Online Disinhibition Effect (ODE). The effect is a psychological model that is structured with different types of elements which can be triggered by different communication mediums. There are two sides of the effect; a benign, where compassion and a reveal of emotions are more likely, and a toxic, where anger, frustration and threats are in focus. In the online video game industry, ODE is active, but as the medium is different than regular internet use the effects are different as well. This paper looks at how online video games are affected by ODE. By using the most current disinhibition model made by Suler and looking at modern cyberpsychology in online games, this paper found eight features that have the possibility to decrease disinhibition amongst users. This paper concludes with a warning that games are becoming more immersive and without the proper authority features, games will increase their disinhibition effect amongst its users.

Le développement des technologies de l’information et de la communication s’est accompagné de l’apparition de phénomènes violents et/ou infractionnels, qui se tiennent sur, ou grâce à, Internet. Existe-t-il une spécificité de ces conduites de cyberviolence, qui s’inscrivent dans ce que l’on nomme cyberespace ? La psycho-criminologie et la cyberpsychologie seront convoquées afin de proposer une réponse à cette question. Le présent travail étudiera, dans une approche clinique et qualitative, des situations d’infractions à caractère sexuel envers mineurs réalisées sur Internet. Ce travail proposera, à partir des données recueillies, une grille de lecture de la cyberviolence, qui s’intéressera au rapport du sujet auteur d’infractions avec la conduite infractionnelle, la victime, et le cyberespace. La cyberviolence naît d’une rencontre, celle d’un sujet vulnérable avec un cyberespace porteur d’opportunités. Il s’agira alors d’interroger cette rencontre, afin de saisir les processus et les dynamiques qui l’animent
The development of information and communication technologies was followed by the emergence of violent and/or offensive phenomena that exist on or thanks to the Internet. Is there a specificity to these behaviors of cyberviolence, which are rooted in what one calls cyberspace? This question will be answered partly thanks to psycho-criminological and cyberpsychological theories. This work takes a close look at sex offences against minors on the Internet. Thanks to the collected data, this work will offer a perspective on cyberviolence, with an interest in the relationship between the offender and the offence, the victim, and cyberspace. Cyberviolence arises from an encounter between a vulnerable subject and a cyberspace bearing opportunities. This encounter will thus be questioned, in order to understand the process and dynamics it stems from

Twitter has over 313 million users, with 500 million tweets produced each day. Society’s growing dependence on the internet for self-expression shows no sign of abating. However, recent research warns that social media perpetuates loneliness, caused by reduced face-to-face interaction. My thesis analyzes and demonstrates the important role facial expressions play in a conversation’s progress, impacting how people process and relate to what is being said. My work critically assesses communication problems associated with Twitter. By isolating and documenting expressive facial reactions to a curated selection of tweets, the exhibition creates a commentary on our contemporary digital existence, specifically articulating how use of social media limits basic social interaction.

1. Bochelyuk, V.: Didzhy`talizaciya yak faktor formuvannya kognity`vnoyi sfery` [Digitalization as a factor in the formation of the cognitive sphere]. Bulletin of KhNPU named after G. S. Skovoroda “Psychology”, (62), 87-107, Kharkiv (2020). 2. Voiskunsky, A.: Kiberpsikhologiya kak razdel psikhologicheskoj nauki i praktiki [Cyberpsychology as a section of psychological science and practice]. Universum: Bulletin of Herzen University, (4), 88 (2013). 3. Zhernovnikova, O.: Didzhy`talizaciya v osviti [Digitalization in education]. Proceedings of the III International Scientific and Practical Conference “Psychological and pedagogical problems of higher and secondary education in the conditions of modern challenges: theory and practice”, 88-90, Kharkiv (2018). 4. Lubenets, I.: Kibernasy`l`stvo (kiberbuling) sered uchniv zagal`noosvitnix navchal`ny`x zakladiv [Cyberbullying among students of secondary schools]. National Legal Journal: Theory and Practice, 3, 178-182 (2016). 5. Tikhomirov О.: Informaczionny`j vek i teoriya L.S. Vygotskogo [Information age and theory of L.S. Vygotsky]. Psychological journal, 14 (1), 114-119 (1993).
Determining the essence of the digitalization problem in psychological science and education is carried out in the process of studying modern technologies to meet human needs as a subject of the information society, social, cultural and economic trends in the world. Based on the above, digitalization in a broad sense is considered as a process and result of technologization collection, cultivation and dissemination of information using computer technology to meet human needs. At psychology, the problem of digitalization is studied by cyberpsychology which is a branch of psychology that observes mental processes, states, properties and manifestations of their activity (function, communication, behavior) in cyberspace.

At psychology, the problem of digitalization is studied by cyberpsychology which is a branch of psychology that observes mental processes, states, properties and manifestations of their activity (function, communication, behavior) in cyberspace. It was the impetus for the study of the problem of cyberbullying among students.

Storicamente, lo studio delle Nuove Tecnologie ha visto l’evoluzione di diverse discipline interessate alla valutazione delle stesse, in termini di sicurezza, usabilità, esperienza globale (dall’Ergonomia fino alla User Experience, passando per la cyberpsicologia). Tali discipline hanno identificato nei “bisogni degli utenti” la guida fondamentale di valutazione e design. Tuttavia, è mancata una contestualizzazione teorica del concetto di bisogno dell’utente. A tal proposito, questa tesi propone un modello teorico (PIM) basato sulla relazione tra tecnologie e intenzioni degli utenti. Queste ultime, sulla base della letteratura psicologica e filosofica, sono viste come l’antecedente mentale delle azioni, strutturate gerarchicamente. Sulla base del modello, vengono presentati tre esperimenti incentrati sull’interazione con le tecnologie e le intenzioni al livello motorio, prossimale e distale. I risultati del primo esperimento indicano che l’utilizzo di tecnologie interattive può modificare il contenuto rappresentazionale delle intenzioni motorie. Il secondo esperimento mostra che la presenza di intenzioni prossimali in utenti orienta la loro percezione di opportunità d’azione e la valutazione della tecnologia. Il terzo esperimento dimostra che la presenza di intenzioni distali negli utenti influenza la valutazione di usabilità di una tecnologia e le emozioni ad essa legate. La conclusione della tesi approfondisce l’importanza dell’analisi delle intenzioni nella valutazione delle tecnologie.
Historically, the study of New Technologies has seen the evolution of the various disciplines involved in technology evaluation, in terms of safety, usability, and the overall experience (from ergonomics to User Experience, and cyberpsychology). These disciplines have identified the "user needs" as the fundamental guideline for evaluation and design. However, a theoretical contextualization of the concept of user needs is still missing. This dissertation proposes a theoretical model (PIM) based on the relationship between technology and user intentions. Based on the psychological and philosophical literature, it defines intentions as the hierarchically-structured mental antecedents of actions. Starting from the model, three experiments are presented focusing on the interaction with the technologies and motor, proximal and distal intentions. The results of the first experiment indicate that the use of interactive technologies can modify the representational content of motor intentions. The second experiment shows that the presence of proximal intentions in users drives their perception of affordances in the technologies and their final evaluation. The third experiment shows that users’ distal intentions influence the evaluation of usability in the technology and the experience of usage-related emotions. The conclusion explores the importance of intention analysis in technology evaluation.

Storicamente, lo studio delle Nuove Tecnologie ha visto l’evoluzione di diverse discipline interessate alla valutazione delle stesse, in termini di sicurezza, usabilità, esperienza globale (dall’Ergonomia fino alla User Experience, passando per la cyberpsicologia). Tali discipline hanno identificato nei “bisogni degli utenti” la guida fondamentale di valutazione e design. Tuttavia, è mancata una contestualizzazione teorica del concetto di bisogno dell’utente. A tal proposito, questa tesi propone un modello teorico (PIM) basato sulla relazione tra tecnologie e intenzioni degli utenti. Queste ultime, sulla base della letteratura psicologica e filosofica, sono viste come l’antecedente mentale delle azioni, strutturate gerarchicamente. Sulla base del modello, vengono presentati tre esperimenti incentrati sull’interazione con le tecnologie e le intenzioni al livello motorio, prossimale e distale. I risultati del primo esperimento indicano che l’utilizzo di tecnologie interattive può modificare il contenuto rappresentazionale delle intenzioni motorie. Il secondo esperimento mostra che la presenza di intenzioni prossimali in utenti orienta la loro percezione di opportunità d’azione e la valutazione della tecnologia. Il terzo esperimento dimostra che la presenza di intenzioni distali negli utenti influenza la valutazione di usabilità di una tecnologia e le emozioni ad essa legate. La conclusione della tesi approfondisce l’importanza dell’analisi delle intenzioni nella valutazione delle tecnologie.
Historically, the study of New Technologies has seen the evolution of the various disciplines involved in technology evaluation, in terms of safety, usability, and the overall experience (from ergonomics to User Experience, and cyberpsychology). These disciplines have identified the "user needs" as the fundamental guideline for evaluation and design. However, a theoretical contextualization of the concept of user needs is still missing. This dissertation proposes a theoretical model (PIM) based on the relationship between technology and user intentions. Based on the psychological and philosophical literature, it defines intentions as the hierarchically-structured mental antecedents of actions. Starting from the model, three experiments are presented focusing on the interaction with the technologies and motor, proximal and distal intentions. The results of the first experiment indicate that the use of interactive technologies can modify the representational content of motor intentions. The second experiment shows that the presence of proximal intentions in users drives their perception of affordances in the technologies and their final evaluation. The third experiment shows that users’ distal intentions influence the evaluation of usability in the technology and the experience of usage-related emotions. The conclusion explores the importance of intention analysis in technology evaluation.

Le trouble obsessionnel-compulsif (TOC) se caractérise par la présence de pensées, images ou impulsions qui provoquent une détresse (obsessions) qui est habituellement soulagée par des rituels mentaux ou comportementaux (compulsions). De nos jours, le traitement reconnu comme étant le plus efficace est la thérapie cognitive comportementale (TCC), et plus particulièrement la technique d’exposition et de prévention de la réponse (EX/PR). Dans la plupart des études ainsi que dans les contextes pratiques, les individus souffrant du TOC sont habituellement traités par l’exposition in vivo, c’est-à-dire qu’ils sont exposés à des stimuli contaminés réels. Toutefois, ce traitement comporte des limites. Les études récentes démontrent l’efficacité des environnements virtuels à induire une réaction d’anxiété chez les phobiques ainsi que son potentiel comme outil dans le cadre d’exposition dans le traitement de troubles anxieux (Robillard et al., 2003). Dans un premier temps, une recension des écrits portant sur la possibilité de l’utilisation de cette technologie dans le traitement du TOC est effectuée et la question de la contribution de la réalité virtuelle dans la TCC du TOC est explorée. Dans un deuxième temps, nous examinons l’efficacité d’un environnement virtuel à induire une détresse chez les personnes souffrant d’un TOC (n = 12) à sous-type de contamination en comparant les résultats aux mesures subjectives et objectives à ceux d’un groupe contrôle (n = 20). Les résultats aux ANOVAs à mesures répétées ont démontré une réaction d’anxiété significativement plus élevée chez le groupe souffrant du TOC comparé au groupe contrôle. Dans un troisième temps, nous examinons à l’aide d’un devis à niveaux de bases multiples en fonction des individus l’efficacité d’un traitement cognitif comportemental d’une durée de 12 sessions avec exposition in virtuo quant à la réduction des symptômes chez trois participantes souffrant d’un TOC à sous-type principal de contamination. Des analyses de séries chronologiques ont été menées sur les données et ont révélées une amélioration statistiquement significative chez les participantes. Ces études préparent le terrain pour des études contrôlées effectuées à partir d’un échantillon plus large en plus de montrer le potentiel de la réalité virtuelle dans le traitement de troubles anxieux chroniques et complexes.

Dans cette recherche, nous avons voulu explorer l’attrait des jeunes pour les mondes numériques et notamment l’utilisation privilégiée des nouveaux modes de communication rendus possibles par l’évolution des techniques. Nous avons cherché, dans une perspective psychanalytique, à dégager des éléments de compréhension sur ce qui peut expliquer l’investissement notable de ces nouveaux mondes pixellisés par les jeunes. En focalisant notre recherche sur la communication à distance, nous avons ciblé la pratique des jeux de rôle en ligne et sommes allée à la rencontre des adolescents ayant un recours excessif à ces mondes virtuels. Notre question principale étant d’examiner les enjeux qui sous-tendent le recours privilégié à des relations médiatisées par ordinateur via l’Internet durant le processus adolescent, nous avons postulé que cette pratique pourrait marquer une tentative de la part des jeunes de faire face aux exigences du travail de l’adolescence. Ce recours excessif marquerait alors la difficulté à affronter les problématiques centrales du processus adolescent. Nous avons ainsi effectué notre recherche à partir d’études de cas, où, avec l’aide de tests projectifs et d’entretiens semi-directifs, nous avons pu mettre à l’épreuve et confirmer ces hypothèses. En effet, même si pour ces jeunes l’utilisation du virtuel technoscientifique s’inscrit dans leur problématique singulière, donc, étroitement liée à leur histoire, nous avons pu constater que dans ce virtuel-non-tangible et ce virtuel-potentiel qui caractérise ces mondes numériques, ils y ont tous trouvé un refuge face aux exigences pressantes du processus adolescent et du devenir adulte qui cherche à s’actualiser
Our aim in this research was to explore young people’s attraction to numerical worlds and, particularly, the privileged use of new types of communication made possible by the evolution of techniques. We have sought to bring out elements of comprehension from a psychoanalytical perspective concerning what might explain the important investment of young people on these new, pixelated worlds. By focalising our research on communication at distance, we have selected the practice of online role-playing games and have encountered adolescents who make excessive use of these virtual worlds. In that our main question is to examine the stakes which underlie privileged recourse to mediatised relations by computer via Internet during the adolescent process, we have postulated that this practice could mark an attempt on the part of the young people involved to deal with the demands of adolescent work. An excessive use of such systems might indicate a difficulty in dealing with the central problem configurations of the adolescent process. We have carried out our research on the basis of case studies where, with the help of projective tests and semi-directive interviews, we have been able to test and confirm these hypotheses. Indeed, even if the use of techno-scientific virtual modalities for these young people is inscribed in their singular problem configurations, and thus, tightly linked to their personal history, we have been able to observe that in the virtual-non-tangible and the virtual-potential which characterize these numerical worlds, they have all found a refuge against of pressing demands of the adolescent process and the becoming adult which is trying to come into being

Cette thèse de doctorat vise à étudier la construction des publics jeunes et féminins au sein des industries culturelles, et plus particulièrement dans la filière des jeux vidéo. Pour cela, elle interroge notamment la construction identitaire des adolescentes en lien avec les industries culturelles et se focalise sur un objet issu de la culture des jeunes filles autour d’un genre vidéoludique nommé otome game. Il s’agit d’un type de jeu produit au Japon depuis 1996, et tardivement importé en Europe et en Amérique du Nord à partir du milieu des années 2000.Otome game signifie littéralement « jeu de jeune fille », mais les termes dating-simulation, dating-game ou encore jeu de drague sont parfois utilisés pour désigner ces productions. Ce type de jeu s'adresse aux jeunes femmes, et leur propose d’incarner une héroïne entourée d’hommes et de suivre une histoire. La romance est au centre de ces jeux, car le but est de construire une histoire d’amour avec l’un de ces hommes. Cette thèse entend analyser un « jeu de romance » nommé Amour Sucré. Cette production française du studio nantais Beemoov reprend les codes graphiques et interactifs des otome games.Ce travail interroge donc la construction identitaire adolescente pour les industriels et leurs publics, et plus précisément les représentations autour du genre féminin et de l’univers romantique. Cette interrogation se fait en partie du côté des instances de production du jeu, par une enquête ethnographique menée au studio Beemoov. Il s’agit d’interroger les employé.e.s afin de comprendre leurs stratégies lors de la création des contenus de jeu.Un autre moyen d’interroger les modalités de conception de ce jeu est de mener une analyse détaillée de celui-ci, en tant que dispositif de captation des publics. Le but est de comprendre les mécaniques de jeu qui vont mettre en place des actions à effectuer pour les joueuses. L’objectif est également d’éclairer la constitution des représentations médiatiques véhiculées par ce jeu, à la fois dans son contenu, mais aussi par ses mécaniques de jeu.Enfin, la troisième étape de ce travail est une enquête ethnographique auprès des jeunes joueuses d’Amour Sucré. Cette enquête comporte des entretiens semi-directifs menés auprès d’un panel d’une quinzaine de joueuses. Ces entretiens se complètent par une observation des domiciles et plus précisément des chambres des jeunes filles. Cette ethnographie vise à comprendre comment leur pratique du jeu Amour Sucré s’insère dans un ensemble de pratiques de loisirs et notamment de loisirs numériques (réseaux sociaux, blogging, partages de créations, consultation de sites d’informations…).Il s’agit donc de comprendre le lien entre les stratégies des équipes de conception, la forme d’une production et les pratiques et usages qui en ressortent. Ce travail de thèse éclaire notamment le fait que les pratiques des jeunes filles s’étendent au-delà du jeu Amour Sucré, et que les enjeux de construction des publics féminins jeunes se révèlent dans l'observation des ensembles de pratiques médiatiques que constituent les jeunes joueuses dans leur quotidien. Au final, cette thèse démontre l’inscription du « jeu de romance » dans une culture de jeunes filles
This doctoral thesis aims to study the construction of young and female audiences in the cultural industries, and more specifically in the video game industry. It questions the identity construction of adolescent girls regarding to productions from cultural industries. Thus, this work focuses on girls’ culture through the study of a video game genre called otome game. These games are produced in Japan since 1996, and have been imported in Europe and North America since the mid-2000s.Otome game means “maiden game,” but the terms dating simulation or dating game are sometimes used to name these productions. These games target young women audiences, and offer them to embody a heroine surrounded by men and follow a scenario. Romance is the main subject in these games, indeed the aim is to build a love story with one of the seductive men. This thesis intends to analyze a “romance game” named Amour Sucré (Sweet Crush in England, and my Candy Love in the United States). This French production of the studio Beemoov uses graphic and interactive conventions from otome games.This work thus questions adolescent identity construction, through adolescent representations within the video game industry. It focuses on the feminine gender and the romantic universe in Amour Sucré. For this, an ethnographic survey has been conducted at the studio Beemoov. This investigation has involved interviewing employees to understand their strategies in creating game content.Another way to question the design of this game has been to conduct a detailed analysis on the game device. The goal has been to understand the game mechanics which allow actions to perform for the players. The aim was also to clarify the constitution of the media representations conveyed by this game, both in its narrative and graphic content and game mechanics.Finally, the third part of this work presents an ethnographic study of young players of Amour Sucré. This survey includes interviews with a panel of fifteen young girls and young women. It also includes an observation of homes and more specifically girl’s bedrooms. This ethnography aims to understand how the practice of Amour Sucré is constructed as part of a set of leisure activities and especially digital entertainment (social networks, blogging, sharing creations, consulting website information…).Finally, this thesis aims to understand the links between the strategies of the producers, the game design and the practices from audiences. This thesis work highlights the fact that the practices of young girls extend beyond Amour Sucré’s universe. So, the issues of construction of young female audiences are revealed through the observation of sets of media practices conducted by young players in their daily lives. This thesis demonstrates how the “romance games” are included in the girl’s cultures

This study qualitatively investigated older adults’ experience of Second Life from a descriptive phenomenological perspective. Second Life is a virtual world found on the Internet and is considered to be a cyber reality that simulates aspects of everyday real life. The participant group comprised of five individuals, between the ages of 60 and 79 years of age, who have been participating in Second Life for longer than six months. All of the participants reside in the United States and all of the participants have a tertiary education. The research revealed three essential themes to older individuals’ experience of Second Life that deals with: (1) Familiarisation with Second Life; (2) Connecting in Second Life; and (3) Second Life as a Place of Recreation. The research indicated that older adults seem to find value in their Second Life participation and tend to be actively involved and contributing members in this virtual world. These findings have implications for developmental theories in psychology that address later stages in life, and the researcher especially considers Erik Erikson’s psychosocial theory of development. Additional implications for adults in the later stages of life and the discipline of psychology are also considered. Copyright
Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2012.
Psychology
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The project of the mobile application Nestresuju aims to create a digital tool in czech language, which effectiveness in the development of stress management skills will be tested and at the same time will be user-friendly and an appealing platform. Specifically, the mobile application Nestresuju target into the help with development of stress management skills through digital transformation of the psychological theory of coping strategies of R. Lazarus and S. Folkman. So far, the project has included several phases, including 1.5-year theoretical research, preparation, and programming phases, which was followed by a pilot survey involving 20 students from Prague universities. The results of quantitative, and especially qualitative data from the final interviews and user data showed that Nestresuju is perceived as useful and shows a trend of possible reduction of perceived stress. All sections of the application were mentioned as useful without significant differentiations. Overall, the tool was rated as professional and trustworthy, even though it is a student project. The results of the pilot survey serve as recommendations for updates in Nestresuju. Followed by main study conducted on a broader sample to verify the effectiveness of the digital tool. The importance of the eHealth application...

A mudança é constante nos dias de hoje e é pautada por tendências. Neste novo contexto, complexo e de incerteza, é pertinente pensarmos sobre como este novo paradigma se articula com novos conceitos. Nesta linha de investigação, surgem novas questões no ramo da ética da informação e da ciberpsicologia que necessitam de respostas interdisciplinares. Tendo como ponto de partida a construção de uma visão concetual que englobe a compreensão das tendências de consumo informacional, as questões emergentes da ética da informação e da ciberpsicologia, foram definidos os seguintes objetivos: investigar a relação humano-máquina; perspetivar os hábitos de consumo informacional à luz do contexto atual; estabelecer uma interação entre a ética da informação e a ciberpsicologia; investigar e integrar as tendências na dinâmica social, nomeadamente nas questões da ética da informação. Estes objetivos articulam-se através de três hipóteses: as tendências de consumo informacional são os veículos de indução/manutenção dos hábitos informacionais; a ciberpsicologia e a ética da informação têm comunicação (nos contextos trabalhados); e problemas de que se ocupa a ética da informação, ao não serem resolvidos, têm consequências no bem-estar do indivíduo. Seguindo um paradigma ecológico, numa visão sistémica, pretendeu-se obter uma visão holística e integrada de um sistema composto por três áreas de investigação: a ética da informação, a ciberpsicologia e as tendências de consumo informacional reunidas num modelo de comportamento informacional. Por enfrentarem desafios semelhantes no que diz respeito à informação, concluiu-se que a ética da informação e a ciberpsicologia se relacionam nas tendências contempladas pelo modelo apresentado.
Change is constant these days and is guided by trends. In this new, complex and uncertain context, it is pertinent to think about how this new paradigm is articulated with new concepts. In this line of investigation, new questions arise in the field of information ethics and cyberpsychology that require interdisciplinary answers. Taking as a starting point the construction of a conceptual vision that encompasses the understanding of informational consumption trends, the emerging issues of information ethics and cyberpsychology, the following objectives were defined: to investigate the human-machine relationship; perspective on informational consumption habits in light of the current context; establish an interaction between information ethics and cyberpsychology; investigate and integrate trends in social dynamics, namely in information ethics issues. These objectives are articulated through three hypotheses: informational consumption trends are the vehicles for inducing/maintaining informational habits; cyberpsychology and information ethics have communication (in the contexts worked); and problems dealt with by the ethics of information, when left unresolved, have consequences for the individual's well-being. Following an ecological paradigm, in a systemic view, the aim was to obtain a holistic and integrated view of a system composed by three areas of research: information ethics, cyberpsychology and informational consumption trends gathered in an informational behavior model. As they face similar challenges regarding information, it was concluded that information ethics and cyberpsychology are related in the trends contemplated by the model here presented.

This study centres on the psychological effects new digital media, like the internet and cellphones, have on adolescents. Although the internet has enormous benefits, it also poses a host of risks that can make adolescents vulnerable to victimisation and/or developing associated psychosocial problems. Characterisations of adolescents’ social relationships in the internet medium, as well as the investigation of the continuity between digital media literacy and online social behaviours, carry high relevance for developmental psychology. It is during the adolescent period that peer interactions arguably hold the greatest importance for individuals’ social and behavioural functioning. Using a logic model for evaluation, the researcher conducted an exploratory research study on digital media use among adolescent learners aged 13 to 15 years to determine whether schools could guide them to think critically for themselves about the entire realm of these new media. The data were gathered from school principals, teachers, parents and learners from three secondary schools in Gauteng Province, which were purposely selected to represent different socio-economic circumstances. A total of 230 people (n=230) participated in the research. Mixed research methods were employed in this study. The quantitative research methods supported the qualitative research methods. The literature review suggested that current media literacy education, which forms part of the Life Orientation curriculum, does not enable learners to think critically or make informed choices about their behaviour in the digital world – because it incorporates neither ethics nor responsibility. One of the main aims of the study therefore was to investigate the importance of expanding existing media literacy education, namely by incorporating two additional learning categories in the curriculum: Digital Safety and Security, and Digital Citizenship. These additional learning categories were introduced in the form of lessons by the teachers participating in the study. A think aloud strategy was used whereby learners verbalise what they were doing and learning while engaging in the digital media literacy lesson activities. The learners’ verbalisations were used to ascertain what learning was occurring in the classroom. The experimental group demonstrated an increase in critical thinking from pre- to post-evaluation. This research therefore proposes that the signature element of intervention strategies for inappropriate online behaviour be to create a “culture of critical thinking”. This implies greatly reducing the risks cyberspace pose, and at the same time enhancing adolescents’ abilities to use it in ways that create and deepen healthy relationships – in the digital as well as the real world.
Psychology
D. Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)