Effects of internet on human behaviour by Hazel Avci https://padlet.com/avc0004/vui31sn5o9aa Psychology Research SAC en-us 2017-05-04 00:41:42 UTC 2017-05-09 03:12:46 UTC hello@padlet.com IS THE INTERNET CHANGING THE WAY WE THINK AND BEHAVE? avc0004 https://padlet.com/avc0004/vui31sn5o9aa/wish/169820974 In this research experiment the topic chosen is:
      Is the internet changing the way we think and behave?
It is predicted that ....
    The internet is negatively changing our habits of thinking          and how we behave.
]]> 2017-05-04 00:56:24 UTC https://padlet.com/avc0004/vui31sn5o9aa/wish/169820974 INTRODUCTION avc0004 https://padlet.com/avc0004/vui31sn5o9aa/wish/169821292 The intended audience for the research investigation is the population as a whole since the general population use technology and are undermined by the effects of the internet if it has any, however more specifically, Generation Y and the Millennial's are since elderly don’t necessarily have a purpose to use technology whereas youth and adults use it in their everyday lives; for work, education, entertainment, etc. Mental health practitioners and educators are also the intended audience.

The question inquired is referring to the affects the internet and technology overall has on individual’s brain activity and the way we. Through anecdotes and vagaries on behaviour throughout the years, it is evident that the internet has some sort of effect on the brain however we don’t comprehend why, therefore the question asked will go in depth of how the internet effects the brain and if there is an effect, does it affect the brain and our behaviour and thinking harmfully or beneficially?
]]> 2017-05-04 00:59:56 UTC https://padlet.com/avc0004/vui31sn5o9aa/wish/169821292 KEY TERMS avc0004 https://padlet.com/avc0004/vui31sn5o9aa/wish/169821754 Research: the systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions
Behaviour: the way in which one acts or conducts oneself, especially toward others
Thinking: the process of using one's mind to consider or reason about something
Internet: a global computer network providing a variety of information and communication facilities, consisting of interconnected networks using standardized communication protocols
Cursory: hasty and therefore not thorough or detailed.

]]> 2017-05-04 01:04:15 UTC https://padlet.com/avc0004/vui31sn5o9aa/wish/169821754 EXPERIMENT ONE avc0004 https://padlet.com/avc0004/vui31sn5o9aa/wish/169822039 UCLA Professor of psychiatry, Gary Smalls. Nicholas Carr, The Web Shatters Focus, Rewires Brain: Page 1 (of document), 2007.
https://www.wired.com/2010/05/ff_nicholas_carr/

An experiment was completed with the aim to determine whether or not the internet effects the behaviour and thinking of individuals.
The experiment was conducted by recruiting 6 volunteers (3 experienced web searchers and 3 novices), each were given a pair of goggles onto which web pages could be projected, then each volunteer was slid one by one into a cylinder where a whole brain MRI was done. The experimenter, in this case, Gary Smalls, had told each subject to start searching the internet for - the nutritional benefits of chocolate, vacationing in the Galapagos islands and buying a new car. 
The MRI then scanned their brains for areas of high activation which was indicated by the increase blood flow. 
The experiment was then repeated 6 days later, however, this time, the novices had spent an hour a day online, searching the internet, whereas the veterans spent 5 hours a day on the internet. The experiment was also repeated later with 18 more volunteers and the same results were shown.

The results indicated that the new scans showed that brain activity has changed dramatically. Quick and extensive use of the internet reroutes neural pathways, mainly in the prefrontal cortex where cognitive thinking occurs and that the brain activity of the experiences surfers were far more extensive. These results demonstrate that the use of the internet does change the we think and behave and changes our brain by adding new neural pathways. From the experiment it is understood that more brain activity is not necessarily better brain activity. The real revelation was how quickly and extensively Internet use reroutes people’s neural pathways. “The current explosion of digital technology not only is changing the way we live and communicate,” Small concluded, “but is rapidly and profoundly altering our brains.”]]> 2017-05-04 01:07:48 UTC https://padlet.com/avc0004/vui31sn5o9aa/wish/169822039 EXPERIMENT TWO avc0004 https://padlet.com/avc0004/vui31sn5o9aa/wish/169823994 Nicholas Carr, The Web Shatters Focus and Rewires Brain: Page 2 (of document), 2001.
https://www.wired.com/2010/05/ff_nicholas_carr/

An experiment was conducted with the aim to determine how the use of the internet effects our thinking and behaviour.
The researchers asked 70 people to read "The Demon Lover", one group read in a traditional linear text format and once passage is read they'd click the word "next" to move ahead, whereas the second group had read a version in which they had to click on highlighted words in the text to move ahead which were hyperlinks, one it has been read, the two groups explained how easy or hard it was to read and if they had lost concentration or any difficulties they may have had.

The results indicated that it took hypertext readers took longer to read the document and that it is extraneous to the process of reading, the passages read with hyperlinks also showed that it disrupts concentration which is an effect on how the internet effects internet users and that it also weakens comprehensions. 

It is ironic how hypertext were created to strengthen critical thinking, however it does the complete opposite and it distracts users and that when we go online, we enter an environment that promotes cursory reading, hurried and distracted thinking, and superficial learning. Even as the Internet grants us easy access to vast amounts of information, it is turning us into shallower thinkers, literally changing the structure of our brain.



]]> 2017-05-04 01:27:42 UTC https://padlet.com/avc0004/vui31sn5o9aa/wish/169823994 ANALYSIS avc0004 https://padlet.com/avc0004/vui31sn5o9aa/wish/169825252 QUICK SUMMARY
The evidence gathered by the experiments clearly exemplify and proves that the internet effects out brains negatively by changing the way we think and behave, therefore the hypothesis of that is it predicted that the internet negatively changes our habits of thinking and how we behave has been supported
LIMITATIONS
Limitations for both the experiments conducted by the professors include individual participant difference; for the first and second experiment, the mental abilities, age and educational background could effect the experiment drastically. Also for the second experiment, the instructions were very simple and the individuals did not have a set time therefore could take their time reading the passage and also may read it more than once in order to understand and comprehend it.


]]> 2017-05-04 01:38:42 UTC https://padlet.com/avc0004/vui31sn5o9aa/wish/169825252 ETHICS avc0004 https://padlet.com/avc0004/vui31sn5o9aa/wish/169826441 Any ethical consideration that could be taken into account would be if the volunteers may had have any eye issues that the use of technology may effect their eyesight and harm them for a temporarily or permanently. Also any other ethical considerations would be if when doing and MRI, the volunteer should not have metal implanted in their body. If they do, the magnetic field from the MRI can cause certain types of metal to move, which could potentially cause an injury to the volunteer.




]]> 2017-05-04 01:48:46 UTC https://padlet.com/avc0004/vui31sn5o9aa/wish/169826441 CONCLUSION AND GENERALISATION avc0004 https://padlet.com/avc0004/vui31sn5o9aa/wish/169827051 In conclusion, the hypothesis 'the internet is negatively changing our habits of thinking and how we behave' has been supported. The experiments have indicated that the hypothesis is correct and the internet does effect the brain since new neural pathways are made, and that it negatively effects the brain by changing the way we think and behave by turning us into shallow thinkers. No new modifications are needed for the experiments.
The evidence gathered shows how negatively the internet effects our brain, this evidence can result parent to give less 'screen time' to their children and schools can go back to 'old fashioned' learning styles by using textbooks and books to obtain new knowledge and information, instead of relying on technology to obtain information since teenagers in today's generation just skim through important parts of information and instead of the information going into their long term memory, it stays in their short term and then teenagers forget. 
The conclusion that has been drawn can be generalised to the relevant population since the use of technology has been advanced throughout the years and the majority of the population uses technology and therefore should understand the effects it has towards the brain which are negative as the hypothesis suggests. ]]> 2017-05-04 01:53:21 UTC https://padlet.com/avc0004/vui31sn5o9aa/wish/169827051