Cyberpsychology Bulletin February 2020

Welcome to the second BPS Cyberpsychology Bulletin. The Bulletin updates section members on activities in cyberpsychology, incorporating insightful articles and information on the latest events and news relevant to the section. If you would like to contribute an article or have an event coming up that you would like announced in a future issue, please get in touch.

Chair’s update – Dr Linda Kaye

It’s been a pleasure to chair the section committee since our first AGM in June 2019. We are now a committee of 16 members and there is a growing section membership of more than 300. This is encouraging to see, and the community of the section is certainly a strength in helping us achieve our objectives. I will use this column to outline some of our key developments and activities.

Section conference #CyberPsych2020 Our much-awaited inaugural conference is scheduled The deadline is 28 February 2020 except for posters, for 7-8 July 2020 at Nottingham Trent University which can be submitted up to 6 March. (NTU). I would like to express my gratitude to our conference leads (Professor Neil Coulson and Dr A feature of our conference we felt was important was Darren Chadwick), Scientific Chair (Dr Chris Fullwood) the introduction of ‘work in progress’ sessions for people and our hosts at NTU for their efforts on this. to gain formative experiences from presenting their work. This is one of the ways in which we are striving to We have already had plenty of abstracts submitted. support our early-career colleagues to success.

Task groups As a relatively large committee, we are able to spread • Postgraduate support our efforts across a range of activities. We have • Outreach and practitioner engagement formalised these through the development of smaller task groups. Our current groups are aligned with our • Cyberpsychology careers section objectives and include: We hope these will support our work, be useful to our • Cyberpsychology Bulletin subcommittee members and be a means to achieve our ambitions as • Conference leads a section.

#CyberSectionChat We hold monthly events on Twitter using the hashtag on topics including internet addictions, digital health #CyberSectionChat. To date we have hosted sessions and wellbeing, cybersecurity and fake news. Cyberpsychology Bulletin February 2020

Chair’s update, continued

The last two of these were jointly hosted with other I look forward to meeting new people and catching member networks, and we encourage our members to up with familiar faces at our conference in July. In the suggest additional topics that can promote collaborative mean time, thank you for your continued support of discussions across networks. These have proved to be our section. a useful way of developing our community. Dr Linda Kaye

Defining cyberpsychology

The Cyberpsychology Section’s editorial team is working number of users. The Internet is the infrastructure, the to establish the Bulletin as a platform to publish short connected network that makes communication and reports on current research. Our aim is that it will interaction the world over possible, with the web being support the foundation for a peer-reviewed publication of the packets of information that are accessed via the the latest developments in cyberpsychology research. Internet. To this end, the team felt it useful to establish an understanding of the subject area to aid future-focused So, while the internet and Internet are both a collection submissions to the Bulletin. Let us know your thoughts. of devices connected via cables, gateways, portals and clouds, the World Wide Web is the software used Cyberpsychology can be described as the circular to traverse those networks and access information, relationship between psychological processes and using codes and languages specifically designed to any type of digitally connected behaviour. Nowadays, transmit that information. This information is then humans are more globally connected via found using search engines such as Google and Yahoo than ever before. A range of gadgets and apparatus are on web browsers such as Internet Explorer, Firefox and used to interact with others the world over, including Chrome. mobile phones, gaming consoles and smart TVs. While most connected technology uses the Internet for this These differences are often confused in writings interconnectivity, there is a difference between the on cyberpsychology, with the word ‘internet’ being internet, Internet and Web (world wide web or www). used to refer to any of these outlined terms. Another assumption often made is that cyberpsychology The first is a closed-circuit communications network is the same as human-computer interaction and with restricted (and usually protected) access for a set media . These disciplines are not the Cyberpsychology Bulletin February 2020 same. Cyberpsychology is concerned with the is somewhat finer, given that media psychologists often psychological processes of human behaviour, the investigate the impact of many forms of media on impact of using technology on varied and diverse varied areas of human behaviour. Their focus is more human behaviours, including (but not restricted to) entrenched in understanding the different ways in cognition, development, social behaviour processes which more traditional media streams such as TV and and individual differences. film influence human behaviour.

These facets of human behaviour also influence how It is therefore important that, as the Cyberpsychology a person perceives, interprets and interacts with Section’s Bulletin continues to develop, submissions technological content, from texting and are focused on the psychological factors that play to gaming, shopping and gambling, to name but a both an online and an offline role in individual and few interconnected behaviours. Human-computer group behaviour. In line with the current definition of interaction is more concerned with the design and cyberpsychology, focused research needs to consider usability of many different forms of technology. The the psychological processes of human behaviour line between cyberpsychology and media psychology across the Web.

Short research reports

Understanding digital information seeking and sharing Themes along the timeline included ‘baby as fruit - among pregnant and postpartum mothers technology use for information seeking’, ‘technology use to facilitate midwife appointments’, ‘offline and Emma Kemp, PhD Student, University of Northumbria online sources to help prepare for labour’ and ‘lack of A gap in care has been identified during the initial HCP support leads to increased use of offline/online gestation weeks and in the majority of the first trimester support’. The findings demonstrate a need for health of pregnancy, with women receiving no prenatal care professionals to be aware of information related to from health providers during this period. A second gap pregnancy and motherhood available online and take has been found during the early weeks after giving steps to ensure women are provided with the most birth, where a shift in information exchange occurs. accurate information during this time. Information and support is focused on the baby, often This study discovered that the transition from resulting in the new mother feeling unsupported pregnancy to postpartum is when women felt most and reluctant to ask for advice from their postnatal vulnerable. It identified an important gap in care where healthcare professional (HCP). health professionals appear not to be providing the The present study aimed to understand how information and support required to meet the needs of information seeking and exchange occurs during a new mother. pregnancy and postpartum, and how this can change The results encourage further investigation of the with different health professional relationships. The postpartum period and how new mothers can feel more role of technology in facilitating these relationships or supported and have visits from health professionals meeting the information needs of expectant and new focused on them as well as the baby. Currently, new mothers was also explored. mothers use technology to fill information gaps and Ten participants (pregnant or up to 12 months post­ seek support from online and offline communities. partum) took part in interviews. Findings showed However, providing women with a resource to expectant and new mothers’ journey through a time­ store personal information may help to encourage line of information-seeking needs and technology information exchange and build positive relationships use throughout pregnancy and early motherhood. with their postpartum health providers. Technology can facilitate the relationship between mother and health professionals or be used as a If you would like to submit a short report to the Cyber­ stand-alone tool to discover information that is lacking psychology Bulletin about your current research, elsewhere. please contact us. Cyberpsychology Bulletin February 2020

Newly Published Papers

Moral decisions in a purpose-made game in-game and post-game. Previous gameplay was also suggested to relate to in-game decision making, which Dr Sarah Hodge, Bournemouth University could show the potential relationship between previous One of the benefits of cyberpsychology is that we can gameplay and new gameplay experiences. use technology to help us understand behaviour. Game The data and implications of this paper were also the engines which create commercial games can also topic of discussion for the final year cyberpsychology be used to make purpose-made games for research. undergraduate students in the Psychology of Social A project was undertaken with psychologists and Media and Video Game Unit. game designers to develop a purpose-made game for research to measure moral decision making. For more information on the results from the purpose- made game: A recent paper by Sarah Hodge, Jacqui Taylor and John McAlaney from Bournemouth University reported Hodge, S.E., Taylor, J., & McAlaney, J., 2019. (A) the results of using a purpose-made game to measure morally demanding game? An exploration of moral moral decisions. The data produced from the purpose- decision-making in a purpose-made video game. made game provided a unique insight into the in-game Media and Communication, 7(4). Retrieved from decision-making process, through measuring moral www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/ alignment and exploring the underutilised measure of article/view/2294. response times. For more information on the development of a The results suggested that real-life morality was not purpose-made game for psychological research see: related to in-game morality, but this did not necessarily mean that in-game choices were not moral, as there Hodge, S.E., McAlaney, J., Gatzidis, C., Anderson, were a number of other factors to suggest otherwise. E. F., Melacca, D., & Taylor, J. (2018). Applying These included the response times, which showed psychological theory to in-game moral behaviors players were thinking and rationalising these in-game through the development of a purpose-made game. decisions. This suggested the purpose-made game In N. D. Bowman (Eds.), Video games: A medium could be cognitively demanding in that participants that demands our attention. (pp. 108-125). London: were thinking about their in-game decisions. Routledge.

Plus, there was a relationship between in-game and If you would like to share your recently published post-game behaviour: players preferred to be helpful cyberpsychology papers, please contact us.

Section news and upcoming events

Cyberpsychology Section Annual Conference 2020 7-8 July 2020, Nottingham Trent University The Section’s inaugural conference represents an Keynote Speakers include Professor Sonia Livingstone important academic and networking opportunity for OBE (London School of Economics and Political cyberpsychology researchers, industry and government ) and Professor Tom Buchanan (University of representatives to engage with the latest research Westminster). on human interaction with new and emerging . The conference programme will feature cutting edge, innovative research in oral presentations, The conference theme is ‘Future directions, challenges posters, symposia, workshops and ‘work in progress’ and opportunities in cyberpsychology.’ presentations, and the presentation of awards. Cyberpsychology Bulletin February 2020

We hope you will join us at Nottingham Trent University Submission deadline extended. There is still time to to celebrate the formation of our new section and submit to the conference as the submission deadline consider future possibilities and the contributions has been extended until Friday 28 February 2020 for cyberpsychology can make. To tweet about this symposia, oral presentations, workshop and ‘work in conference use #cyberpsych2020. progress’ submissions.

Registration is now open and early rates will be The deadline for poster submissions is Friday 6 March. available until Monday 11 May 2020. After that, they will increase by 15 per cent. More details can be found You can access more information about how to make a on the conference website. submission online.

The Annual International Digital Wellbeing Forum The Annual International Digital Wellbeing Forum will be Digital Mindfulness welcomes abstracts for papers on held at Bournemouth University from 27-28 May 2020. these issues. Please email the abstract (200 words maximum) to Dr Lawrence Ampofo by 30 March 2020. The conference explores scientific advancements and the challenges to the advancement of meaningful If you have an event coming up that you would like to digital wellbeing science. share in the next issue of Cyberpsychology Bulletin, please contact us. It will consider the emergence of developments concerning digital wellbeing globally, facilitate collaboration between colleagues in academia and Get in Touch industry, and showcase the best research.  @BPSCyberPsych Topics of interest include: safeguarding online  [email protected] communities; developing robust methodologies for digital wellbeing research; digital tools for Edited by: mental wellbeing; using digital wellbeing to Simon Bignell (editor in chief) improve conversations online; improving workplace Alison Attrill-Smith experiences; digital wellbeing and gaming. Dawn Branley-Bell Helen Jones Cyberpsychology Bulletin February 2020

Upcoming #CyberSectionChat sessions 27 February Applying Cyberpsychology to Defence 30 April Online Personality and Security (Joint session with the BPS Defence and Security Section). 28 May Cybercognition

Co-hosted by Dr Dawn Branley-Bell (BPS 25 June Cyber Networking - a chance for you to ‘meet Cyberpsychology section) and Dr Iain Reid (BPS and mingle’ with other cyberpsychologists before our Defence and Security section) #CyberPsych2020 Section Conference (attendees and non-attendees are welcome to join in the Twitter chat) 26 March Children and Online Privacy and Trust. Hosted by Dr Dawn Branley-Bell (BPS All #CyberSectionChat sessions will take place between Cyberpsychology section) 7–8pm on the last Thursday of the month.

News from the BPS

Registration is open for the new-look BPS Conference BBC Radio presenter Claudia Hammond. Claudia will 2020 taking place from 30 June to 1 July at the Royal open the conference with a special outside broadcast Armouries Museum in Leeds. of her popular Radio 4 show All in the Mind.

Join us and enjoy two days exploring the future of Book now and get a 10 per cent discount on full price psychological research and practice with compere tickets.

Expert Witness Advisory Group We are looking to appoint members currently working To request a statement of interest form or for more as expert witnesses and with substantial experience to information please email Sunarika Sahota. Please return join this group. your completed form by Friday 3 April 2020.