Cognitive bias toward the Internet: The causes of adolescents’ Internet addiction under parents’ self-affirmation consciousness

Abstract

The Internet plays a crucial part in the adolescent life. However, as a product of modernization, the Internet has brought a lifestyle different from that of our parents who tend to regard excessive exposure to the Internet as a manifestation of the adolescent Internet addiction. The cognitive bias against the Internet seem to have been arisen among the parents. Under the theoretical framework of self-efficacy and empathy, this study adopts PLS-SEM to analyze the contributing factors of the adolescent Internet addiction from the perspective of self-affirmation consciousness of parents. The result demonstrates that self-affirmation consciousness has a significant positive effect on the empathy process; the empathy process and self-affirmation have a significant positive effect on cognitive bias; and the empathy process acts as a mediator between self-affirmation and cognitive bias. To sum up, through the investigation of the causes of adolescent Internet addiction, this study explores the formation process of parents’ cognitive bias toward the Internet under the influence of self-affirmation consciousness, verifying the practical effects of empathy in the process of promoting rational thinking of parents toward the Internet and adolescent Internet use, and at the same time promoting the harmonious development of parent–child relationships to a certain extent.

From digital museuming to on-site visiting: The mediation of cultural identity and perceived value

“…Cognitive-emotional-behavioral theory explains the occurrence of behavior, with the process of individual behavior change consisting of three stages, the cognitive, the emotional and the behavioral ( Corstorphine, 2006 ; Zhou et al, 2022 ). Cognition is rational perception, including perceptions, beliefs, ideas and understanding, resulting from the individual’s exposure and experience.…”

“…Basic cognitive and emotional evaluation leads to behavioral intentions, tendencies, and preferences. Thus, individuals first form a cognition about something, and this cognition leads to an emotion about that thing, and eventually, guided by the cognition and emotion, they take actions ( Corstorphine, 2006 ; Zhou et al, 2022 ). This theory is applicable to studies related to tourist behavior.…”