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. 2018 Dec 18:9:2597.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02597. eCollection 2018.

Internet Use Influences Self-Related Process: Evidence From Behavior and ERPs

Gai Zhao  1   2 , Yan Zhang  3 , Fanchang Kong  1   2 , Zhaojun Liu  1   2 , Yadan Wang  1   2 , Bo Zhou  1   2 , Xingjie Zhang  1   2 , Feng Tang  1   2 , Zongkui Zhou  1   2
Affiliations

Internet Use Influences Self-Related Process: Evidence From Behavior and ERPs

Gai Zhao et al. Front Psychol. .

Abstract

The present study aimed to examine whether a self-related stimulus produces a self-related process bias between pathological-tendency Internet users and ordinary Internet users. Participants were asked to judge the color of the target stimulus' frame (Internet pictures) in an implicit priming task, which enclosed the prime of self/other related words and the target of the online image in sequence. Results from Experiment 1 showed that response time (RT) in the self-related condition was significantly longer than that of the other related condition. Further analysis showed that RT in the self-related condition was significantly longer than that under the other related conditions for pathological-tendency Internet users but not for ordinary Internet users. In Experiment 2, behavior results demonstrated that RT under the self-related condition was significantly longer than that in the other-related condition for both groups, and the RT was shorter for pathological-tendency Internet users than that of the ordinary Internet users. Moreover, ERP data showed that the N2 amplitude was larger in the self-related condition than that of other related conditions for pathological-tendency Internet users but not for ordinary Internet users. The amplitudes of late positive component (LPC) was smaller in the self-related condition than those of the other related conditions. Hence, the Internet use influenced the inhibition control in self-unrelated stimuli and automatically retrieved the self-related stimuli.

Keywords: Internet use; LPC; N2; implicit priming task; self-related stimuli.

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Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Sequence of events in an experimental trial.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Mean RT in the self priming and other priming conditions in pathological-tendency Internet group and ordinary Internet group. Error bars are SE of the means. Asterisks indicate the significant difference at ∗p < 0.05 level, ns, no significant difference.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Averaged ERPs at Fz, Cz, and FCz, for two priming condition in pathological-tendency Internet user and ordinary Internet user.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Mean amplitudes of the N2 components in the self priming and other priming conditions in pathological-tendency Internet user and ordinary Internet user. Asterisks indicate the significant difference at ∗p < 0.05 level, ns, no significant difference.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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