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Investigations on the etiology of problematic internet use and its facets: Common or specific genetic sources?
Abstracts
The Effect of Intergroup Cooperation in Video Games on Prejudice Reduction: Does This Effect Differ between Violent versus Nonviolent Games A. Ha, P. Adachi, G. Hodson, T. Willoughby Playing a violent video game cooperatively with an outgroup member has been found to reduce prejudice toward that outgroup. However, violent video games have long been suggested to be linked to negative outcomes. The goal of the current study was to examine whether the effect of intergroup cooperation in video games on prejudice reduction would be stronger when playing a nonviolent video game, compared to a violent video game. Canadian students (n = 275) played a violent or nonviolent video game cooperatively with an outgroup member (an American student) and then completed an intergroup attitude measure. There was a significant main effect of intergroup cooperation in video games on prejudice reduction, such that participants were more favorable towards their partner’s social group (students from the American university) after playing cooperatively in the video game, compared to playing the video game independently. Moreover, participants’ attitude scores towards the outgroup do not differ in the violent or nonviolent video game conditions. The violent and nonviolent video games are both important intervention tools to reduce prejudice.
483
cultures, the experience of caring for individuals living with such conditions may not be universal. Furthermore, literal translations of an English version of a caregiver burden scale into another language may not account for different meaning schemes within diverse cultural groups. Developing a culturally equivalent translated instrument requires identifying and understanding some of the common belief systems underpinning the culture under investigation. We contend that personal constructs should be explored within an embedded research design that includes a preliminary qualitative phase, in order to examine common perspectives of groups of people within the targeted culture. This presentation introduces personal construct theory with its underlying concepts and methods of assessment as a constructivist approach to reconstruct existing measures through the examination of personal and group construct systems. These concepts and assessment procedures are illustrated by describing the translation process of Montgomery’s Caregiver Burden Scale into Arabic, and the use and testing of the Arabic version with a Saudi Arabian caregiver sample in a study of family caregiver burden of persons with Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementia. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2016.05.159
doi:10.1016/j.paid.2016.05.157 Individual Differences in Performance on Comprehension and Knowledge Tests With and Without Passages and Questions J. Hartung, S. Weiss, O. Wilhelm Investigations on the etiology of problematic internet use and its facets: Common or specific genetic sources? E. Hahn, M. Reuter, F.M. Spinath, C. Montag Problematic internet use (PIU) can be described as a multidimensional syndrome comprising aspects such as craving, development of tolerance, loss of control or negative consequences. Towards a better understanding of problematic internet use (PIU) and its components it is of importance to get insights into the influence of genetic and environmental effects. Given that previous studies on other addiction behaviors (e.g., substance use, pathological gambling) revealed substantial genetic influences, it can be expected that the vulnerability to PIU may be due to a person’s genetic predisposition as well. However, it is questionable whether distinct components of PIU have different etiologies, or whether they are just distinct descriptions of a single latent PIU concept. Using data from a sample of adult twins and non-twin siblings (N = 796 individuals, M = 30.2 years), we investigated the magnitude of genetic and environmental influences on generalized PIU as well as on specific facets of PIU such as excessive use, negative consequences, social comfort/benefit, or cognitive engagement. Using multivariate genetic models, we further tested underlying sources of overlap between components of PIU. Results showed that relative contributions of genetic influences vary for different components of PIU, but also overlap to a certain degree. Implications for future research are discussed.
Reading comprehension tests usually use multiple-choice-items. In several studies it was shown that reading comprehension items were solved above chance level when the text and the question were removed from an item, and participants received only the response alternatives. In the present study we pursued two goals. First, we examined whether similar results apply to measures of another ability construct: crystallized intelligence. Second, we investigated the structure of the original and manipulated tests establishing measurement models. In a sample of 217 young adults we replicate the finding that response accuracy in reading comprehension occurs above chance level, even when removing the question, and established similar results for the assessment of declarative knowledge. Systematic individual difference performance in the measures without passages and questions suggests a strong need for latent factors capturing variance of these instruments. These factors are strongly related with the corresponding factors from the original measures. The results suggest that general intellectual abilities are critical for performance in measures lacking passages and questions and for the original reading comprehension test. In addition, performance in cognitive abilities seems to hinge less on what a measure seems to stress – i.e. reading in reading comprehension tests – but instead on overarching, general purpose intellectual ability. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2016.05.160
doi:10.1016/j.paid.2016.05.158
Reconstruction of existing constructs: A personal construct theory approach for cross-cultural construing of quantitative measures E. Hamad, A. Johnson, E. Kinsella Although conditions causing cognitive impairment and behavioural changes (e.g., dementia) have similar diagnostic criteria across
The Effects of Family Activation and Work-Family Conflict on Work Creativity R. Hezkiau-Ludwig, J.M. McCarthy The detrimental effects of work-family conflict, especially on job performance, are well documented (e.g., Steenbergen & Ellemers, 2009). Based on the creative cognition approach (Smith, Ward, & Finke, 1995) and the role of negative emotions in creativity (e.g., George & Zhou,
The Effect of Intergroup Cooperation in Video Games on Prejudice Reduction: Does This Effect Differ between Violent versus Nonviolent Games A. Ha, P. Adachi, G. Hodson, T. Willoughby Playing a violent video game cooperatively with an outgroup member has been found to reduce prejudice toward that outgroup. However, violent video games have long been suggested to be linked to negative outcomes. The goal of the current study was to examine whether the effect of intergroup cooperation in video games on prejudice reduction would be stronger when playing a nonviolent video game, compared to a violent video game. Canadian students (n = 275) played a violent or nonviolent video game cooperatively with an outgroup member (an American student) and then completed an intergroup attitude measure. There was a significant main effect of intergroup cooperation in video games on prejudice reduction, such that participants were more favorable towards their partner’s social group (students from the American university) after playing cooperatively in the video game, compared to playing the video game independently. Moreover, participants’ attitude scores towards the outgroup do not differ in the violent or nonviolent video game conditions. The violent and nonviolent video games are both important intervention tools to reduce prejudice.
483
cultures, the experience of caring for individuals living with such conditions may not be universal. Furthermore, literal translations of an English version of a caregiver burden scale into another language may not account for different meaning schemes within diverse cultural groups. Developing a culturally equivalent translated instrument requires identifying and understanding some of the common belief systems underpinning the culture under investigation. We contend that personal constructs should be explored within an embedded research design that includes a preliminary qualitative phase, in order to examine common perspectives of groups of people within the targeted culture. This presentation introduces personal construct theory with its underlying concepts and methods of assessment as a constructivist approach to reconstruct existing measures through the examination of personal and group construct systems. These concepts and assessment procedures are illustrated by describing the translation process of Montgomery’s Caregiver Burden Scale into Arabic, and the use and testing of the Arabic version with a Saudi Arabian caregiver sample in a study of family caregiver burden of persons with Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementia. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2016.05.159
doi:10.1016/j.paid.2016.05.157 Individual Differences in Performance on Comprehension and Knowledge Tests With and Without Passages and Questions J. Hartung, S. Weiss, O. Wilhelm Investigations on the etiology of problematic internet use and its facets: Common or specific genetic sources? E. Hahn, M. Reuter, F.M. Spinath, C. Montag Problematic internet use (PIU) can be described as a multidimensional syndrome comprising aspects such as craving, development of tolerance, loss of control or negative consequences. Towards a better understanding of problematic internet use (PIU) and its components it is of importance to get insights into the influence of genetic and environmental effects. Given that previous studies on other addiction behaviors (e.g., substance use, pathological gambling) revealed substantial genetic influences, it can be expected that the vulnerability to PIU may be due to a person’s genetic predisposition as well. However, it is questionable whether distinct components of PIU have different etiologies, or whether they are just distinct descriptions of a single latent PIU concept. Using data from a sample of adult twins and non-twin siblings (N = 796 individuals, M = 30.2 years), we investigated the magnitude of genetic and environmental influences on generalized PIU as well as on specific facets of PIU such as excessive use, negative consequences, social comfort/benefit, or cognitive engagement. Using multivariate genetic models, we further tested underlying sources of overlap between components of PIU. Results showed that relative contributions of genetic influences vary for different components of PIU, but also overlap to a certain degree. Implications for future research are discussed.
Reading comprehension tests usually use multiple-choice-items. In several studies it was shown that reading comprehension items were solved above chance level when the text and the question were removed from an item, and participants received only the response alternatives. In the present study we pursued two goals. First, we examined whether similar results apply to measures of another ability construct: crystallized intelligence. Second, we investigated the structure of the original and manipulated tests establishing measurement models. In a sample of 217 young adults we replicate the finding that response accuracy in reading comprehension occurs above chance level, even when removing the question, and established similar results for the assessment of declarative knowledge. Systematic individual difference performance in the measures without passages and questions suggests a strong need for latent factors capturing variance of these instruments. These factors are strongly related with the corresponding factors from the original measures. The results suggest that general intellectual abilities are critical for performance in measures lacking passages and questions and for the original reading comprehension test. In addition, performance in cognitive abilities seems to hinge less on what a measure seems to stress – i.e. reading in reading comprehension tests – but instead on overarching, general purpose intellectual ability. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2016.05.160
doi:10.1016/j.paid.2016.05.158
Reconstruction of existing constructs: A personal construct theory approach for cross-cultural construing of quantitative measures E. Hamad, A. Johnson, E. Kinsella Although conditions causing cognitive impairment and behavioural changes (e.g., dementia) have similar diagnostic criteria across
The Effects of Family Activation and Work-Family Conflict on Work Creativity R. Hezkiau-Ludwig, J.M. McCarthy The detrimental effects of work-family conflict, especially on job performance, are well documented (e.g., Steenbergen & Ellemers, 2009). Based on the creative cognition approach (Smith, Ward, & Finke, 1995) and the role of negative emotions in creativity (e.g., George & Zhou,