Write 3 pages in which you use your research and accumulated knowledge to evaluate the implications technology and cyberpsychology have on the world.

There are many theories in the field of psychology that address personality, motivation, cognition, relationships, abnormal behavior, et cetera, that can also be applied to the understanding of people and their usage of technologies.

Context

According to Norman (2008), cyberpsychology is the study of human behavior related to the operation of "control and communication systems" (p. 7). What are these systems? Today, they include the Internet, mobile technologies, and other ways by which we can access information from our cell phones or smart phones, tablets, cars, televisions, and computers. This course will explore the field of human-computer interaction and focus specifically on how people use the Internet and how that use affects our lives, both in positive and negative ways.

Questions to Consider

To deepen your understanding, you are encouraged to consider the questions below and discuss them with a fellow learner, a work associate, an interested friend, or a member of the business community.

Resources

Required Resources

The following resources are required to complete the assessment.

Resources

Click the links provided to view the following resources:

• APA Paper Template.
Suggested Resources

The following optional resources are provided to support you in completing the assessment or to provide a helpful context. For additional resources, refer to the Research Resources and Supplemental Resources in the left navigation menu of your courseroom.

Multimedia

Click the links provided below to view the following multimedia pieces:

• Cyberpsychology Course Resources | Transcript.
• Cyberpsychology Timeline | Transcript.
• What Is Theory? | Transcript.
• Defining Theories of Development | Transcript.
• Intranet Versus Extranet | Transcript.

Library Resources

The following e-books or articles from the University Library are linked directly in this course:

• Botella, C., Riva, G., Gaggioli, A., Wiederhold, B. K., Alcaniz, M., & Baños, R. M. (2012). The present and future of positive technologies. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 15(2), 78-84.

• Cranwell, J., Benford, S., Houghton, R. J., Golembewksi, M., Fischer, J. E., & Hagger, M. S. (2014).Increasing self-regulatory energy using an Internet-based training application delivered by smartphone technology. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 17(3), 181-186.

Course Library Guide

The University library guide has been created specifically for your use in this course. You are encouraged to refer to the resources in the PSYC-FP4210 - Cyberpsychology Library Guide to help direct your research.

Internet Resources

Access the following resources by clicking the links provided. Please note that URLs change frequently. Permissions for the following links have been either granted or deemed appropriate for educational use at the time of course publication.

• American Psychological Association (APA). (2014). Retrieved from http://www.apa.org

• Pew Research Center. (2014). Internet Project. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/

• ResearchGate. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.researchgate.net

• Fenichel, M. (2014). Cyberpsychology. Retrieved from http://www.cyberpsychology.com

• Duggan, M., & Smith, A. (2013). Social media update 2013. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/12/30/social-media-update-2013/

• Smith, A. (2014). U.S. views of technology and the future. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/04/17/us-views-of-technology-and-the-future/

• Uhls, Y. T., & Green?eld, P. M. (2011). The rise of fame: An historical content analysis. Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace, 5(1). Retrieved from http:// cyberpsychology.eu/view.php?cisloclanku=2011061601&article=1

• Assessment Instructions

Use your research and accumulated knowledge, along with the APA Paper Template (linked in the Resources under the Required Resources heading), to complete the following:

• Describe the key advances in technology and the application of new technologies since 2011.

• Explain the underlying psychological theories and models associated with cyberpsychology.

• Describe how the field of cyberpsychology specifically relates to the allied fields of human-computer interaction, human factors, usability, user-interface design, and ergonomics.

• Explain how a theory in cyberpsychology influences a specific career or related field. For example, how does the sociocultural theory of development influence the work of a software designer who develops online games?

• Analyze the positive and negative implications of advances in technology related to your job or future career.

• Explain a specific ethical, legal, or psychological issue or concern, related to the field of cyberpsychology.

• Support your positions with APA citations from at least two scholarly sources.

Note the following:

• References must be mostly scholarly in nature. In other words, direct your research to professional psychology journals and texts, as well as current articles from the media (for example, articles from PewResearch, professional journals, and respected media).

• The library guide for this course will help you locate appropriate sources.

• Wikipedia is not a reliable source of information for this purpose but may be useful for background information. Do not cite Wikipedia.

Additional Requirements

• Written communication: Ensure written communication is free of errors that detract from the overall message.
• Formatting: Format resources and citations according to current APA style and formatting guidelines. Use Microsoft Word.
• Number of resources: Include a minimum of two scholarly resources.
• Number of pages: Submit 3 pages.
• Font and font size: Use Times New Roman, 12-point font.

WHAT IS THEORY?

"Theory, in simple terms, can be seen as "a world view, a way we organize and explain the world we live in."
(DeMarrais & Lecompte, p. 3).

How do social scientists use theory?

• To organize thinking about phenomena and relationships.
• To guide inquiry and research questions.
• To organize research findings into meaningful patterns and frameworks.
• To make predictions about the future based on what has already been observed.

FUNCTIONAL THEORIES
Also known as: Consensus theory; Structural Functionalism
"society as a kind of machine where one part articulates with another to produce the dynamic energy to make society work"; (SCS, p. 114)

"A major function of schools is to develop, sort, and select individuals by ability levels to fill hierarchical positions... this is a rational process based on the merit of individuals." (Ballantine, p. 62)

Features: Each part of society is related to others parts and follows roles and rules in a rational way.

School roles: Schools socialize students; teach shared values; encourage social cohesion and harmony; sort and select students according to their ability for roles in the society and economy.

Assumptions: Equilibrium and consensus in society are normal. Individuals are primarily motivated by prestige and wealth. Schools can rationally select the most talented and motivated students.

Weaknesses: Does not explain persistent social problems that schools and education have little power to change. Many of the assumptions about individuals' motivation and the abilities of educational institutions are either questionable or contradicted by evidence.

Sample question about student academic achievement

How are the achievement levels of students related to family economic status of students?

CONFLICT THEORIES

Also known as: Neo-Marxist, Correspondence, and Reproduction theories
"Ideologies or intellectual justifications created by the powerful are designed to enhance their position by legitimizing inequality and the unequal distribution of material and cultural goods." (SCS p. 115)

"Problems in the educational system stem from the conflicts in the society as a whole...a system that is based on ‘haves' and ‘have-nots.'" (Ballantine, 1997, p. 64)

Features: Dominant groups have power over subordinate groups through overt and subtle forms of force and manipulation.
School roles: Perpetuates or reproduces the existing class or social system by preparing children for roles in the capitalistic, technological society; Legitimizes unequal power and distribution of resources through achievement ideology; Schools are sites of conflict.

Assumptions: Conflict in society is inherent; contradictions between dominant and subordinate groups are inevitable sources of social conflict and tension.

Weaknesses: Reduces interactions to abstract struggles. Offers little explanation of social order, incremental change and improvement in society. One dimensional view of education as reproducing inequality without alternative possibilities.

Sample question about student academic achievement

How are the achievement levels of students related to family economic status of students?

INTERACTIONAL THEORIES

Also known as: There are specific theories such as phenomenology, symbolic interactionism, andethnomethodology.
"Interpretive theorists study social meanings and interaction at the microlevel through qualitative and descriptive research methods. They view the participants in their studies as engaged in the process of constructing culture through daily interactions." (deMarrais & LeCompte, 1999, p. 26)

Features: Focuses on interactions between individuals and small groups. The objective is to explain how people make and negotiate meaning and how they act and interact based on their understandings.

School roles: Places where people construct meaning through interaction. Schools include specific sites for interaction such as classrooms, hallways, athletic fields, and virtual meeting places.

Assumptions: Social reality is negotiated and is dependent on the context. Culture and meaning are constructed by individuals through day-to-day interactions. Individuals act based on meanings that they perceive.

Weaknesses: Focus on the microlevel ignores the external (macrolevel) social, political, economic constraints and dynamics. Subjectivity and bias may cloud the research.

Sample question about student academic achievement

What roles do teachers and state assessments play in evaluating student achievement?

THEORY MATCHING QUIZ

There are five steps to this quiz including identifying the features, school roles, assumptions, and weaknesses for each theory. Refer to the readings in Sadovnik, pp. 3-17 for a more in-depth discussion of these and other theories. Your answers will not be seen by your instructor or graded. To start, simply drag and match each theory with its description.

Part 1: Theory Features

1. Each part of society is related to other parts and follows roles and rules in a rational way.

2. Focuses on interactions between individuals and small groups. The objective is to explain how people make and negotiate meaning and how they act and interact based on their understandings.

3. Dominant groups have power over subordinate groups through overt and subtle forms of force and manipulation.

Part 2: School Roles

1. Perpetuates or reproduces the existing class or social system by preparing children for roles in the capitalistic, technological society; Legitimizes unequal power and distribution of resources through achievement ideology; Schools are sites of conflict.

2. Places where people construct meaning through interaction. Schools include specific sites for interaction such as classrooms, hallways, athletic fields, and virtual meeting places.

3. Schools socialize students; teach shared values; encourage social cohesion and harmony; sort and select students according to their ability for roles in the society and economy.

Part 3: Assumptions

1. Social reality is negotiated and is dependent on the context. Culture and meaning are constructed by individuals through day-to-day interactions. Individuals act based on meanings that they perceive.

2. Equilibrium and consensus in society are normal. Individuals are primarily motivated by prestige and wealth. Schools can rationally select the most talented and motivated students.

3. Conflict in society is inherent; contradictions between dominant and subordinate groups are inevitable sources of social conflict and tension.

Part 4: Weaknesses

1. Reduces interactions to abstract struggles. Offers little explanation of social order, incremental change and improvement in society. One dimensional view of education as reproducing inequality without alternative possibilities.

2. Does not explain persistent social problems that schools and education have little power to change. Many of the assumptions about individuals' motivation and the abilities of educational institutions are either questionable or contradicted by evidence.

3. Focus on the microlevel ignores the external (macrolevel) social, political, economic constraints and dynamics. Subjectivity and bias may cloud the research.

Part 5: Match question with appropriate theory

1. How are measures of academic achievement, such as grades and test scores, related to the educational level, ethnicity, and cultural capital of parents?

2. To what extent do teachers and guidance counselors influence students' academic and vocational choices?

3. How are teachers' academic expectations of individual students and groups of students formed?

REFERENCES

• Ballantine, J. H. The sociology of education, Fourth edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

• DeMarrais, K.B. & Lecompte, M.D. (1999). The Way Schools Work. New York: Addison Wesley Longman.

• Sadovnik, A. (2007). Theory and research in the sociology of education. In A. Sadovnik (Ed.),Sociology of education (pp. 3-21). New York: Routledge.

• Sadovnik, A.R., Cookson, P.W., Semel, S.F. (2006). Exploring education, Third edition.Boston: Pearson.