OVERVIEW
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Write a 3–4-page assessment in which you use examples and research findings to explain the connections between technology and self-regulation.
The more self-knowledge and self-awareness we have, the more intentional we can be about our behavioral choices and the more we can resolve conflicts between ourselves and the social world.
CONTEXT
Research conducted on the delay of gratification in the 1960s by Walter Mischel and his colleagues attempted to explain the concept of willpower by examining how long preschool children could resist settling for a small, immediately available reward in order to get a larger reward later. Follow-up surveys with the same group found that children who were able to resist for a longer period of time also scored higher on SAT tests, had higher levels of self-worth, and coped better with stress. The study also found that those children who had at first decided to wait and then chose the immediate reward were 30 percent more likely to be overweight by the age of 11 (Mischel, et al., 2011). Some of the ways the children self-regulated their behavior in order to delay gratification to receive a higher reward were to lay their heads down on the table, nap, talk to themselves, and sing.
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.
If you could learn how your thoughts may interfere with your own happiness and success, would you want to know?
RESOURCES
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.
Library Resources
The following e-books or articles from the Capella University Library are linked directly in this course. It is important to note that some of the articles listed here are fairly old but are considered seminal works in the field of social psychology.
• Boer, D., & Fischer, R. (2013). How and when do personal values guide our attitudes and sociality? Explaining cross-cultural variability in attitude–value linkages . Psychological Bulletin, 139(5), 1113–1147.
• Burnette, J. L., O’Boyle, E. H., VanEpps, E. M., Pollack, J. M., & Finkel, E. J. (2013). Mind-sets matter: A meta-analytic review of implicit theories and self-regulation . Psychological Bulletin, 139(3), 655–701.
• Casey, B. J., Somerville, L. H., Gotlib, I. H., Ayduk, O., Franklin, N. T., Askren, M. K., & . . . Shoda, Y. (2011). Behavioral and neural correlates of delay of gratification 40 years later . Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 108(36), 14998–15003.
• Crabb, P. B. (2003). Technology and self-regulation: The case of alarm clock use . Social Behavior and Personality, 31(4), 343–348.
• Hu, H., & Driscoll, M. P. (2013). Self-regulation in e-learning environments: A remedy for community college ? Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 16(4), 171–184.
• Kaufman, G. F., & Libby, L. K. (2012). Changing beliefs and behavior through experience-taking . Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 103(1), 1–19.
• Kim, J., & Roselyn Lee, J. (2011). The Facebook paths to happiness: Effects of the number of Facebook friends and self-presentation on subjective well-being . Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 14(6), 359–364.
• Kross, E., & Grossmann, I. (2012). Boosting wisdom: Distance from the self enhances wise reasoning, attitudes, and behavior . Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 141(1), 43–48.
• Mischel, W., Ayduk, O., Berman, M. G., Casey, B. J., Gotlib, I. H., Jonides, J., . . . Shoda, Y. (2011). ‘Willpower’ over the life span: Decomposing self-regulation . Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 6(2), 252–256.
• Mischel, W., Shoda, Y., & Peake, P. K. (1988). The nature of adolescent competencies predicted by preschool delay of gratification . Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54(4), 687–696.
• Radovic, S., & Hasking, P. (2013). The relationship between portrayals of nonsuicidal self-injury, attitudes, knowledge, and behavior . Crisis, 34(5), 324–334.
• Rivis, A., & Sheeran, P. (2013). Automatic risk behavior: Direct effects of binge drinker stereotypes on drinking behavior . Health Psychology, 32(5), 571–580.
• Rodriguez, M. L., Mischel, W., & Shoda, Y. (1989). Cognitive person variables in the delay of gratification of older children at risk . Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57(2), 358–367.
• Schmitz, B., Schmidt, M., Landmann, M., & Spiel, C. (2007). New developments in the field of self-regulated learning . Zeitschrift Für Psychologie/Journal of Psychology, 215(3), 153–156.
• Sitzmann, T., & Ely, K. (2010). Sometimes you need a reminder: The effects of prompting self-regulation on regulatory processes, learning, and attrition . Journal of Applied Psychology, 95(1), 132–144.
Vogel, D. L., Heimerdinger-Edwards, S. R., Hammer, J. H., & Hubbard, A. (2011). “Boys don’t cry”: Examination of the links between endorsement of masculine norms, self-stigma, and help-seeking attitudes for men from diverse backgrounds . Journal of Counseling Psychology, 58(3), 368–382.
Assessment instructions
To prepare for this assessment, locate scholarly research articles on delay of gratification and self-regulation. Also consider technology and self-regulation.
Include the following in your assessment:
• Describe ways that technology has impacted people’s ability to self-regulate their behavior.
• Select one area of self-regulatory behavior and describe how that area is affected by technology.
• Use examples from media (news reports, commercials, television shows, movies) to illustrate the conflict between impulse and socially beneficial behavior.
• Explain how research findings support (or do not) the connection between technology and delay of gratification or self-regulation.
Your submitted assessment should be 3–4 pages in length, excluding title page and reference page. Use the research findings from at least three scholarly research articles and follow APA guidelines for format and style.
Additional Requirements
• Include a title page and reference page.
• At least three current scholarly or professional resources.
• Times New Roman font, 12 point.
• Double spaced.
