Social media sites users' choice between utilitarian and informational reinforcers assessed using temporal discounting
ObjectiveThis study provides a first approach to the use of the Multiple-Choice Procedure in social media networks use, as well as empirical evidence for the application of the Behavioral Perspective Model to digital consumption behavior in young users in conjunction with a methodology based on beha...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-02-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Public Health |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.960321/full |
| _version_ | 1811167183105949696 |
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| author | Oscar Robayo-Pinzon Sandra Rojas-Berrío Mario R. Paredes Gordon R. Foxall Gordon R. Foxall |
| author_facet | Oscar Robayo-Pinzon Sandra Rojas-Berrío Mario R. Paredes Gordon R. Foxall Gordon R. Foxall |
| author_sort | Oscar Robayo-Pinzon |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ObjectiveThis study provides a first approach to the use of the Multiple-Choice Procedure in social media networks use, as well as empirical evidence for the application of the Behavioral Perspective Model to digital consumption behavior in young users in conjunction with a methodology based on behavioral economics.Participants/methodsThe participants were part of a large university in Bogotá, Colombia, and they received an academic credit once they completed the online questionnaire. A total of 311 participants completed the experiment. Of the participants, 49% were men with a mean age of 20.6 years (SD = 3.10, Range = 15–30); 51% were women with a mean age of 20.2 years (SD = 2.84, Range = 15–29).ResultsAmong the total participants, 40% reported that they used social networks between 1 and 2 h a day, 38% between 2 and 3 h, 16% for 4 h or more, and the remaining 9% used them for 1 h or less per day. The factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) allowed us to identify a statistically significant effect of the delay of the alternative reinforcer, that is, the average crossover points were higher when the monetary reinforcer was delayed 1 week, compared to the immediate delivery of the monetary reinforcer. There was no statistically significant effect of the interaction between the magnitude of the reinforcer and the delay time of the alternative reinforcer.ConclusionsThis study supports the relative reinforcing value of an informational reinforcement consequence such as social media use, which is sensitive to both the magnitude of reinforcement and the delay in delivery as individual factors. The findings on reinforcer magnitude and delay effects are consistent with previous research that have applied behavioral economics to the study of non-substance-related addictions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T16:04:52Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7808e6dfa28344939e1546e96a155f99 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-2565 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T16:04:52Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-7808e6dfa28344939e1546e96a155f992023-02-10T05:48:41ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Public Health2296-25652023-02-011110.3389/fpubh.2023.960321960321Social media sites users' choice between utilitarian and informational reinforcers assessed using temporal discountingOscar Robayo-Pinzon0Sandra Rojas-Berrío1Mario R. Paredes2Gordon R. Foxall3Gordon R. Foxall4School of Business Administration, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, ColombiaFaculty of Economics, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, ColombiaSchool of Business Administration, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, ColombiaCardiff Business School, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United KingdomSchool of Management, Reykjavik University, Reykjavik, IcelandObjectiveThis study provides a first approach to the use of the Multiple-Choice Procedure in social media networks use, as well as empirical evidence for the application of the Behavioral Perspective Model to digital consumption behavior in young users in conjunction with a methodology based on behavioral economics.Participants/methodsThe participants were part of a large university in Bogotá, Colombia, and they received an academic credit once they completed the online questionnaire. A total of 311 participants completed the experiment. Of the participants, 49% were men with a mean age of 20.6 years (SD = 3.10, Range = 15–30); 51% were women with a mean age of 20.2 years (SD = 2.84, Range = 15–29).ResultsAmong the total participants, 40% reported that they used social networks between 1 and 2 h a day, 38% between 2 and 3 h, 16% for 4 h or more, and the remaining 9% used them for 1 h or less per day. The factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) allowed us to identify a statistically significant effect of the delay of the alternative reinforcer, that is, the average crossover points were higher when the monetary reinforcer was delayed 1 week, compared to the immediate delivery of the monetary reinforcer. There was no statistically significant effect of the interaction between the magnitude of the reinforcer and the delay time of the alternative reinforcer.ConclusionsThis study supports the relative reinforcing value of an informational reinforcement consequence such as social media use, which is sensitive to both the magnitude of reinforcement and the delay in delivery as individual factors. The findings on reinforcer magnitude and delay effects are consistent with previous research that have applied behavioral economics to the study of non-substance-related addictions.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.960321/fullbehavioral economicstemporal discountingutilitarian reinforcementinformational reinforcementsocial media |
| spellingShingle | Oscar Robayo-Pinzon Sandra Rojas-Berrío Mario R. Paredes Gordon R. Foxall Gordon R. Foxall Social media sites users' choice between utilitarian and informational reinforcers assessed using temporal discounting Frontiers in Public Health behavioral economics temporal discounting utilitarian reinforcement informational reinforcement social media |
| title | Social media sites users' choice between utilitarian and informational reinforcers assessed using temporal discounting |
| title_full | Social media sites users' choice between utilitarian and informational reinforcers assessed using temporal discounting |
| title_fullStr | Social media sites users' choice between utilitarian and informational reinforcers assessed using temporal discounting |
| title_full_unstemmed | Social media sites users' choice between utilitarian and informational reinforcers assessed using temporal discounting |
| title_short | Social media sites users' choice between utilitarian and informational reinforcers assessed using temporal discounting |
| title_sort | social media sites users choice between utilitarian and informational reinforcers assessed using temporal discounting |
| topic | behavioral economics temporal discounting utilitarian reinforcement informational reinforcement social media |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.960321/full |
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