The Effect of Instant Messaging on game

• Main Authors: Hsieh, Chih-Hao, 謝之浩
• Other Authors: Huang, Yang-Ming
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2014
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/11485927293735954213

碩士 === 輔仁大學 === 心理學系 === 102 === How does internet impact our everyday life in the digital era? Previous studies showed that abusive use of digital devices may decrease the duration of concentration among the youth. In this study, we simulated an environment in which one needs to stay focused by playing a game while being disturbed by Facebook instant messages to understand how these instant messages impact on young adults when they need to concentrate on a task. In experiment 1, the Facebook messages are irrelevant to the task. The results showed that the messages did not affect the scores. In experiment2, the messages contained numerical information that participants needed to report afterwards. Results show that when the participants need to memorize the content from Facebook messages, there is a detrimental impact on game performance albeit only when the game is a difficult one. In experiment3, the content of to-be-remembered messages was manipulated. Results show that both words and numbers impact game performance. However, the interference from words and numbers did not differ. To conclude, if the game is difficult enough, Facebook message would disturbs performance.