I had two other reactions to the article. First, I'm also skeptical of the "new technology will make us all go to hell" media coverage. I'm sure there are teenagers who will abuse (to detrimental psychological effects) any activity (technological or otherwise). I do think cell phones and texting are here to stay. I don't know a single teenager (poor or otherwise) who does not have a cell phone (my daughter is 17 so I know lots of teenagers). Cell phones in fact seem to have given communication to the poor. When I was in Honduras this spring building houses in a village in which there was no electricity then villagers had cell phones (they walked to town to recharge them).
Second, I think as with all new technology there is a period of adjusting to when/how use is appropriate. Many cafe's in Copenhagen have a sign on the window that prohibits cell phones (a pictogram). Most of my professor friends have a note on the syllabus that prohibits texting (or even having the cell phone out during class). Concerts are now often introduced with a "turn off your cell phone and enjoy an hour of uninterrupted music". I'm sure movie theaters will soon ask people to not text (I do find it rather annoying myself because the screens are so bright in the dark theater). Marie PS. My parents were driven insane by my non-stop talking on the phone when I was a teenager (in part because no one could call us or use the phone when I was using it). Teenagers always seem to find ways to do annoying things! **************************************************** Marie Helweg-Larsen, Ph.D. Department Chair and Associate Professor of Psychology Kaufman 168, Dickinson College Carlisle, PA 17013, office (717) 245-1562, fax (717) 245-1971 http://www.dickinson.edu/departments/psych/helwegm Office hours: Monday 10:30-11:30, Tuesday & Wednesday 2:00-3:30 **************************************************** -----Original Message----- From: Mike Palij [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, May 26, 2009 8:33 AM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Cc: Mike Palij Subject: re:[tips] Texting May Be Taking a Toll on Teenagers - NYTimes.com On Mon, 25 May 2009 22:02:04 -0400, Christopher D. Green wrote: >Generally speaking, I am skeptical of the popular >computers-are-killing-our-children genre of news report. However, >"American teenagers sent and received an average of *2, 272 text >messages per month* in the fourth quarter of 2008"!! >http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/26/health/26teen.html?hpw A couple of points: (1) I think that this might be another example of the "main effect fallacy" in that it gives the impression that all U.S. teenagers engage in this behavior while it is probably the case that it is a situation that if most likely present in middle-class and upper SES teenagers. That is, the magnitude of "Texting Gone Wild" is likely to vary across SES levels and other relevant economic and social factors. How many children of the homeless or migrant workers enage in such behaviors? Or, because the story in in the New York Times, as we only interested in middle class and higher teenagers? (2) At what point will this behavior be classified either as (a) an obsessive-compulsive disorder or (b) an addiction? If a person was engaging 2,272 times per month in doing a drug, engaging in sex acts, engaging in betting and gambling, eating, going to the gym/exercising, downloading internet porn, or, I admit this is really, really unusual, waterboarding people, would we think that doing these behaviors at this high a frequency was a "normal" thing? Once upon a time it was not unusual to see/know people who always had a lit cigarette in their mouth but the culture made such behavior acceptable until the inevitable diseases and deaths showed how such "normal" behaviors were truly pathological. -Mike Palij New York University [email protected] --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected]) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected])
