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Access Type
WSU Access
Date of Award
January 2020
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.A.
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Lara L. Jones
Abstract
ABSTRACT
SMARTPHONE ADDICTION, USE PURPOSES, AND THE WANDERNIG MIND
by
GREGORY A. NORVILLE
August 2020
Advisor: Dr. Lara L. Jones
Major: Psychology (BCN)
Degree: Master of Arts
Smartphone addiction and use purposes potentially relate to cognitive functions. I investigated the effects of smartphone addiction and various smartphone use purposes on mind wandering, working memory capacity, and crystallized intelligence. Four smartphone addiction measures were strongly correlated with mind wandering and unrelated to working memory capacity or crystallized intelligence. Mind wandering was correlated with Social Networking use but was unrelated to Entertainment use. Additionally, Social Networking, but not Entertainment, was associated with poorer crystalized intelligence, and neither were associated with working memory capacity. Finally, Social Networking and Entertainment use purposes predicted mind wandering beyond the effects of smartphone addiction alone. Results contribute to the growing effort to catalogue the cognitive correlates, and potential risks, of smartphone addiction. Though not conclusive, the possibility remains that smartphones are training people to mind wander more frequently by rewarding them for acting on the stimulus independent thoughts that arise during mind wandering events.
Recommended Citation
Norville, Gregory Alan, "Smartphone Addiction, Use Purpose, And The Wandering Mind" (2020). Wayne State University Theses. 764.
https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/oa_theses/764