28th International Congress of Psychology August 8 ... - U-netSURF

Fitzgerald, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
Social antecedents and consequences of home Internet use were examined in a sample of 140
children, mostly African American (83%), male (58%), 13 years-old, and residing in single-parent
households (75%) where the median income was $15,000 (USD) (www.HomeNetToo.org).
Findings indicated that neither parental nor peer modeling of computer/Internet use predicted
children's Internet use, which we automatically recorded for 16 months. Internet use had no effect
on number of close friends or time spent in a variety of activities (e.g., with friends). Whether
Internet use has an adverse social impact may depend on the nature rather than amount of use.
4014.2 Developmental differences in children’s understanding of the Internet, Z. Yan, State
University of New York at Albany, Albany, NY, USA
The Children Internet Protection Act in USA signified nationwide concerns with how to help
children use the Internet safely, but little is known about what the Internet is in children’s minds.
This study examined developmental differences in understanding of two fundamental aspects of
the Internet, the network-based structure and polarized social function, among 83 K-6 school
children and found that the 5th and 6th graders but not younger ones were able to understand the
network-based structure of the Internet and the polarized social function of the Internet.
4014.3 Relationship of time perspective, coping styles, and Internet use of adolescents, L. Lei 1 ,
H.L. Li 2 , 1 Capital Normal University, Beijing, China; 2 Hebei University, Baoding, China
This study explored the relationship of time perspective, coping styles and internet use of
adolescents, by surveying a sample of 589 aged from 14 to 17 (M=15.07, SD=1.37) through
questionnaires. The results showed that pathological internet use (PIU) of adolescents could be
predicted by time perspective and their coping styles. Also, the study found that PIU was a new
kind of problem similar to substance abuse. Meanwhile, different coping styles, such as problem
solving, fantasy, and abreaction, played mediated roles in whether an adolescent involved in PIU
or not, by consideration of which could give a hand to overcome PIU.
4014.4 Chinese university students’ attitudes toward computer: A structural equation model, Y.
Liu, X.L. Fu, Y.H. Sun, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
A survey study investigated the relationship among Chinese university students’ computer
attitudes, self-perception on computer skill, attitudes toward innovation, computer experience, and
demographic factors by structural equation modelling technique. Participants were 292 university
students from three universities in Beijing, and all of them had used computer before. The results
showed: (a) There was no gender difference in computer attitudes, but males were more confident
in self-perception on computer skill, (b) computer attitudes were driven primarily by attitudes
toward innovation, (c) computer attitudes influenced computer experiences, and (d) the
participants’ notion of innovation was significantly more positive than their action.
4014.5 The differences of personal identity between group blog from same and different places,
L.H. Cheng, Zhongshan University, Guangzhou, China
Personal identity is a critical issue for members of group blog on the Internet, but how it is
expressed in different context is not clear. This study used content analysis to examine the
differences between group blog from same and different places and found that the members of
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