The Influence of Media Exposure on Anxiety and Working Memory during Lockdown Period in Italy

Fabio, Rosa Angela; Suriano, Rossella

doi:10.3390/ijerph18179279

Cited by 14 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 42 publications

(50 reference statements)

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“…In recent years, tests have been conducted in an attempt to investigate various phenomena such as TV addiction [ 2 ], excessive use of computer games [ 3 ], gambling disorders over the web [ 4 ] and, generally, internet addiction [ 5 ]. The excessive use of smartphones, also known as ‘nomophobia’, has proven to be a form of technological addiction that is rapidly becoming a major social problem around the world [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ]. Today, addiction is defined as a pleasure-inducing behavior that through repeated exposure gradually leads to loss of control and further negative consequences [ 11 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Problematic Smartphone Use Leads to Behavioral and Cognitive Self-Control Deficits

Fabio

Stracuzzi

Faro

2022

IJERPH

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Excessive use of smartphones has been associated with a number of negative consequences for individuals. Some of these consequences relate to many symptoms of behavioral addiction. The present study aims to investigate whether participants with high levels of smartphone usage may have difficulty with their ability to wield the self-control that is needed to restrict smartphone usage compared to participants with lower levels of smartphone addiction. Specifically, we expect that people with high levels of smartphone usage may have problems in refraining from using a smartphone. In addition, we expect people with a high level of smartphone use may show deficiencies in cognitive tasks such as memory, executive control, and visual and auditory attention. An ABA design was applied to analyze the effects of smartphone withdrawal. The first A refers to baseline measurements: Visual RT, Auditory RT, Go/No-Go RT and N-Back RT and Eriksen flanker RT. The B refers to 3 days of smartphone withdrawal, whereas the second A refers to the same measurements used in the baseline. In addition, several standardized scales were administered, among them: Smartphone addiction scale-short version (SAS-SV), Fear of missing out scale (FoMOs), Procrastination scale, and Psychological General Well-Being Index. One hundred and eleven participants took part in the study. Based on median split they were divided into two groups: high level and low level smartphone users. Moreover, thanks to an app installed on the participants’ smartphones, it was possible to measure levels of compliance with the task. Results indicate that participants with low levels of smartphone usage show less difficulty in their ability to wield the self-control needed to withdraw smartphone use and faster reaction times on cognitive tests than participants with high levels of smartphone usage. Moreover, the profile of participants with high levels of smartphone usage shows higher scores on the FoMOs and Procrastination scale, and lower scores in the Psychological General Well-Being Index. The results are discussed in light of self-regulation theory.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Problematic Smartphone Use Leads to Behavioral and Cognitive Self-Control Deficits

Fabio

Stracuzzi

Faro

2022

IJERPH

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“…Therefore, our results suggest that the pandemic did not have an impact on attentional mechanisms, relating either to “emotional” or “non-emotional” stimuli. Previous literature showed that the COVID-19 lockdown was associated with poorer cognitive performance ( 54 , 55 ) and increased attention toward social cues ( 56 ). Our findings seem to go against these results; this discrepancy likely reflects the specific components investigated and the measures used, since previous studies primarily focused on working memory (especially using n-back tasks) or gaze cueing tasks.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…When considering our experimental design, it is important to compare the EST to a task that assesses purely cognitive processes, not influenced by emotional or distressing features. Indeed, some studies have shown that COVID-19-related anxiety is associated with poorer cognitive performance ( 54 , 55 ), as well as increased attention toward social cues ( 56 ). One of the most relevant and frequently used approaches to studying visual cognitive processing is through visual search tasks ( 57 , 58 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Evolution of Psychological and Behavioral Consequences of Self-Isolation During Lockdown: A Longitudinal Study Across United Kingdom and Italy

Zaninotto

Bossi²,

Terry³

et al. 2022

Front. Psychiatry

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IntroductionSeveral countries imposed nationwide or partial lockdowns to limit the spread of COVID-19 and avoid overwhelming hospitals and intensive care units. Lockdown may involve restriction of movement, stay-at-home orders and self-isolation, which may have dramatic consequences on mental health. Recent studies demonstrated that the negative impact of lockdown restrictions depends on a wide range of psychological and socio-demographic factors.AimsThis longitudinal study aimed to understand how internal factors such as personality and mindfulness traits, and external factors, such as daily habits and house features, affect anxiety, depression and general wellbeing indicators, as well as cognitive functions, during the course of a lockdown.MethodsTo address these questions, 96 participants in Italy and the United Kingdom filled out a survey, once a week for 4 weeks, during the first-wave lockdowns. The survey included questions related to their habits and features of the house, as well as validated questionnaires to measure personality traits, mindful attitude and post-traumatic symptoms. Indicators of wellbeing were the affective state, anxiety, stress and psychopathological indices. We also measured the emotional impact of the pandemic on cognitive ability by using two online behavioral tasks [emotional Stroop task (EST) and visual search].ResultsWe found that internal factors influenced participants’ wellbeing during the first week of the study, while external factors affected participants in the last weeks. In the first week, internal variables such as openness, conscientiousness and being non-judgmental toward one’s own thoughts and emotions were positively associated with wellbeing; instead, neuroticism and the tendency to observe and describe one’s own thoughts and emotions had detrimental effects on wellbeing. Toward the end of the study, external variables such as watching television and movies, browsing the internet, walking the dog, and having a balcony showed a protective value, while social networking and engaging in video calls predicted lower values of wellbeing. We did not find any effects of wellbeing on cognitive functioning.ConclusionRecognizing specific traits and habits affecting individuals’ wellbeing (in both short and long terms) during social isolation is crucial to identify people at risk of developing psychological distress and help refine current guidelines to alleviate the psychological consequences of prolonged lockdowns.

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“…In order to evaluate the performance of working memory (WM), n-back was used, a continuous performance activity commonly adopted in the field of psychology and cognitive neuroscience. This paradigm has been widely used in the literature and has shown good psychometric properties [ 31 , 32 , 33 ]. The n-back task involves the serial presentation of stimuli (for example, an image or a sound), separated from each other by a few seconds.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transient and Long-Term Improvements in Cognitive Processes following Video Games: An Italian Cross-Sectional Study

Fabio

Ingrassia

Massa

2021

IJERPH

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The aim of the present study is to compare the short- and long-term effects of video-gaming by using the same measurements. More precisely, habitual and occasional video-gamers were compared so as to analyze the long-term effects. An ABABABA design was used to analyze the short-term effects. The first A refers to baseline measurements: Visual RT, Auditory RT, Aim trainer RT, Go/No-Go RT and N-Back RT. The first B refers to 30 min of gaming, the second A refers to the measurements used in the baseline, the second B refers to 60 min of a video game, the third A refers to the same measurements used in the baseline, the third B refers to a 30-min rest, and finally, the fourth A refers to the measurements used in the baseline. Seventy participants, twenty-nine habitual video-gamers and forty-one occasional video-gamers, participated in the study. The results showed a temporary improvement of cognitive functions (Visual RT, Auditory RT, Aim trainer RT, Go/No-Go RT and N-Back RT) in the short term and a strong enhancement of cognitive functions in the long term. The results are discussed in light of Flow Theory and the automatization process. Contribution of the study: The contribution of this research is to highlight that despite there being a transient enhancement of executive and cognitive functions through the use of mobile video games in the short-term period, with a decrease of performance after a 30-min rest, there is a strong increase of cognitive performance in the long-term period. Flow Theory and the automatization process together can explain this apparent inconsistency between the positive increase of long-term performance and the transient increase of short-term performance. One limitation of the present research is that it is not possible to distinguish whether the long-term enhancements can be attributed either to continued practice in the use of video games compared to non-gamers, or to the possibility that gamers are already predisposed to video game playing. Future research should address this issue.

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The Influence of Media Exposure on Anxiety and Working Memory during Lockdown Period in Italy

Cited by 14 publications

References 42 publications

Problematic Smartphone Use Leads to Behavioral and Cognitive Self-Control Deficits

Problematic Smartphone Use Leads to Behavioral and Cognitive Self-Control Deficits

The Evolution of Psychological and Behavioral Consequences of Self-Isolation During Lockdown: A Longitudinal Study Across United Kingdom and Italy

Transient and Long-Term Improvements in Cognitive Processes following Video Games: An Italian Cross-Sectional Study

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