A Comparative Empirical Study on Mobile ICT Services,Social Responsibility and the Protection of Children

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the Spanish mobile phone industry to determine how mobile phone companies and certain institutions can improve protection for children who use mobile phones. We carried out a multivariate statistical analysis using anonymous primary data from mobile phone companies, and institutions and associations that protect children, to compare these stakeholders’ opinions and to put forward solutions. We proved that, even though some European countries have made an effort to provide safer ICT services, all stakeholders still need to cooperate and agree on solutions to the commercial problems associated with children using mobile phones. This can be done by signing codes of conduct. We found that even though some companies implement measures to protect children from accessing harmful content via their mobile phones, they do so for reasons of legal and not social responsibility.     

Characterising mobile phone calls while driving on limited-access roads based on SHRP 2 naturalistic driving data

Research has found that mobile phone call engagement while driving negatively affects driving performance. However, no studies exist characterising hand-held mobile phone calls while driving under naturalistic conditions that include aspects such as the duration of mobile phone subtasks and glance behaviour. Identifying the particularly distracting phases of hand-held telephoning and the nature of influencing factors are the basis for developing design recommendations (e.g. for an in-vehicle information system). Potential influencing factors on driving performance such as call type, mobile phone storage location, or any self-regulatory behaviour need to be taken into account. The present study aimed to draw a comprehensive picture of making hand-held mobile phone calls while driving on limited-access roads using SHRP 2 naturalistic driving data. Mobile phone phase duration, glance behaviour, call type, and mobile phone storage location were coded manually across 98 events. The results show that the handling phase of a mobile phone call (e.g. searching for contacts, dialling) was the most dangerous due to longer mean off- than on-road glances. Outgoing calls caused longer mean off-road glances than incoming; nevertheless, the 2 s critical threshold was not exceeded. A significant influence of mobile phone storage location on glance behaviour did not exist. Moreover, at least in free-flow driving conditions, drivers had enough spare capacity to conduct a mobile phone call without reducing vehicle speed. The results suggest that in low complexity traffic situations drivers can compensate for the increased driving task demand due to telephoning by making minor changes in glance behaviour.     

正念与手机成瘾倾向的关系:无聊倾向和未来时间洞察力的作用

为探讨正念与大学生手机成瘾倾向的关系以及无聊倾向的中介作用和未来时间洞察力的调节作用,采用问卷法对790名大学生进行了施测。结果表明：（1）正念对大学生手机成瘾倾向具有显著的负向预测作用;（2）无聊倾向在正念与手机成瘾倾向之间起中介作用;（3）正念通过无聊倾向对手机成瘾倾向所起的间接效应受到未来时间洞察力的调节作用,即相较于未来时间洞察力水平高的大学生而言,该间接效应在未来时间洞察力水平低的大学生中更强。研究结果有助于揭示正念如何与手机成瘾倾向相联系,以及正念与手机成瘾倾向的关系在何种条件下更强或更弱。这对于移动互联网络时代预防和干预大学生手机成瘾倾向具有一定的启示意义。     

A World Through the Camera Phone Lens: a Case Study of Beijing Camera Phone Use

While the camera phone is becoming widely used among mobile phone users, this new technology is changing the perspective from which we see the world and thus changing our thoughts and lives. In order to understand what this convergence means to us, this research makes a case study of 16 mobile phone users in Beijing urban area and attempts to analyze how the camera phone is used in both self-construction and self-identification processes. The case study illustrates that the camera phone is helping people record what they experience at any time and place and thus impacting upon how they experience the world. Consequently, this digitalized copy of life promotes the social reflectivity, which can be seen as facilitating the emerging civil society in China’s rapidly transforming technoculture.     

压力知觉对大学生手机成瘾的影响：自我控制和学习倦怠的序列中介效应

为考察自我控制、学习倦怠在压力知觉与手机成瘾之间的序列中介效应,运用压力知觉量表、自我控制量表、学习倦怠量表和手机成瘾量表对946名大学生进行调查,结果表明：(1) 压力知觉与手机成瘾呈显著正相关;(2) 自我控制在压力知觉与大学生手机成瘾倾向之间起中介作用;(3)学习倦怠在压力知觉与大学生手机成瘾倾向之间起中介作用;(4) 压力知觉通过自我控制和学习倦怠的序列中介作用对大学生手机成瘾倾向产生影响。     

手机成瘾与抑郁：社交焦虑和负性情绪信息注意偏向的多重中介作用

为考察手机成瘾与抑郁的关系, 研究同时整合情绪和认知两方面因素, 探讨了社交焦虑和负性情绪信息注意偏向在手机成瘾和抑郁之间的多重中介作用。研究1共有545名大学生完成了大学生手机成瘾倾向量表、贝克抑郁量表和社会交往焦虑量表。研究2选取51名大学生采用问卷法和2(配对面孔表情的情绪类型: 负性、中性) × 2(探测点位置: 与负性情绪面孔表情同侧、与负性情绪面孔表情异侧)的被试内实验设计。结果表明: (1)手机成瘾、社交焦虑和抑郁两两间存在显著正相关, 且社交焦虑在手机成瘾和抑郁之间起完全中介作用; (2)社交焦虑和负性情绪信息注意偏向在手机成瘾与抑郁的关系中起链式中介作用, 而负性情绪信息注意偏向在手机成瘾与抑郁间的单独中介效应不显著。具体而言, 手机成瘾通过两条路径影响抑郁: 一是社交焦虑的单独中介作用; 二是社交焦虑→负性情绪信息注意偏向的链式中介作用。     

Your life in snapshots: Mobile weblogs

Nicola Döring and Alex Gundolf's article on the development of 'moblogs' or mobile weblogs allows us to approach recent mobile phone industry developments from an academic standpoint. Pointing to the convergence of mobile and Internet technology, 'moblogs' provide a means for users to archive their lives via photos that can be taken via a mobile phone and viewed via the Internet. Nokia have named their product to provide this service 'lifeblog', and it is this uncensored publication of everyday life that Döring and Gundolf investigate, from subjects as mundane as a user capturing his waking state everyday, to as personally and globally historic as the moblog by a US soldier in Iraq. What we are seeing in the 'moblog' is how organically some product development is in the mobile world--the early moblogging software came not from operators, handset or software manufacturers but from the social software community that thrives on the Internet. It is precisely this level of organic, spontaneous product development that occurs as a by-product of networked communities that many companies seek and often fail to emulate.     

“I need to skip a song because it sucks”: Exploring mobile phone use while driving among young adults

BackgroundMobile phone use while driving is a well-recognized area of concern. However, while texting/calling among young adult drivers has received much research attention, more research is needed regarding other phone functions used by young adults while driving.Study aimTo explore mobile phone functions used by young adult drivers while driving.ResultsAn online survey of 17–24 year old drivers (N = 612; 428 females) and focus groups with drivers aged (N = 18; 8 females) revealed that mobile phone use while driving was a very common behavior, with more full licence drivers compared with Learner/Provisional drivers using their phone to make/answer calls, send/read text messages and for internet browsing. This nature of mobile phone use while driving was varied, with phones commonly used for entertainment (e.g., to play music), to connect with others (via texting and/or voice calls) and for navigation.Concluding remarksYoung adults use a variety of functions on their phone while driving. It is important that young driver-targeted intervention efforts acknowledge that multiple functions of the mobile phone are used during the drive and it serves multiple purposes. Examining the inhibitors and facilitators of mobile phone use and its various functions while driving is needed, in addition to elucidating if the usage of particular mobile phone functions is similar across different driver cohorts.     

Klinisch-psychologische Interventionen mit Mobilmedien

The internet gained popularity in the mid-nineties; its integration into psycho-social health care structures has been established in the meantime. The mobile communication boom followed in the early years of the second millennium. Within a very short time, the cellular phone has become a personal multi-purpose tool. Against this background it seems obvious to investigate to what extent mobile media, beside the internet, can meaningfully support clinical practice. This article gives an overview of the current research and development status of clinical-psychological intervention with the aid of computer-based mobile media (Mobile Therapy, abbr. M-Therapy). Contrary to a desktop with internet access, where its use is limited to certain areas, wireless mobile media have the ability to instantly collect clinically relevant data, complete training units or organize contacts to therapists. Pilot projects and first evaluation studies show that, for example, cellular phones, game consoles and handhelds are productive in psychological diagnostics, counseling, rehabilitation and therapeutic support. They are widely accepted and increase the effectiveness of therapy. We will discuss the media-specific opportunities and limitations of M-Therapy as well as its implications for clinical practice.     

Evidence that implementation intentions reduce drivers’ use of mobile phones while driving

Implementation intentions are IF-THEN plans that have the potential to reduce mobile phone use while driving and thus contribute towards the prevention of road traffic crashes. We tested whether an intervention, designed to promote the formation of implementation intentions, could reduce drivers’ use of mobile phones. A randomized controlled design was used. The participants (N = 136) were randomised to an implementation intention or a control condition. Self-report questionnaires were administered to all participants at both pre- and one-month post-intervention to measure the use of mobile phones while driving, goal intentions and the theoretically derived motivational pre-cursors of goal intentions (attitudes, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control). Immediately following the pre-intervention questionnaire, the participants in the implementation intention condition (n = 67) were given a volitional help sheet, which asked them to form implementation intentions by specifying target driving situations that tempted them the most to use a mobile phone and linking them with goal-directed responses that could be used to resist the temptation. The participants in the control condition (n = 69) were asked to specify target situations that tempted them the most to use a mobile phone while driving and to generally try to avoid using a mobile phone in those situations. One-month post-intervention, the participants in the implementation intention condition reported using a mobile phone less often while driving in their specified target driving situations than did the participants in the control condition. As expected, no differences were found between the conditions in the reported frequency of mobile phone use in unspecified driving situations, goal intentions or any motivational pre-cursor of goal intentions. The implementation intention intervention that was tested in this study is a potentially effective tool for reducing mobile phone use while driving in target driving situations, where behaviour-change is most needed.     

Predicting intentions to text and call while driving using the theory of planned behaviour

There is extensive evidence that using a mobile phone while driving causes degradation in driving performance, and thereby results in reduced safety on the road. The present study examined intentions to use mobile phones while driving using the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). A total of 212 Ukrainian drivers (mean age = 35 years SD = 10 years; males = 82%) completed a survey that included measures of the TPB components related to intentions to send or read text messages or to make or receive handheld phone calls across two different scenarios; one where they were running late, and the other when they were not in a hurry. Measures of the frequency of mobile phone use were also collected. The results showed that 63% of the sample reported using a mobile phone while driving at least daily, with the most frequent types of usage being making and answering a phone call with a handheld device. The most consistent predictor of intentions to interact with a mobile phone while driving was having a positive attitude towards doing so. Perceived behavioural control was also significantly and positively associated with mobile phone use while driving, but only a small number of associations were found with subjective norms. Our results suggest that intentions to interact with mobile phones while driving may be context specific.     

THE VARIETIES OF NON‐RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE

I want to consider the suggestion that certain essential components of human experience are by their nature distinctively religious, and thus that the atheist is either debarred from participating fully in such experiences, or fails to understand their real nature. I am going to look at five kinds of experience:

• ? the experience of the moral ‘ought’;
• ? the experience of beauty;
• ? the experience of meaning conferred by stories;
• ? the experience of otherness and transcendence;
• ? the experience of vulnerability and fragility.

These seem to me to be integral features of any meaningful human life. They are aspects of what it is to be human. Some theists would simply agree with that statement. Others, however, would say that though essentially human they are also essentially religious, and that the secular humanist's participation in such experiences is in some way defective. That is the claim which I want to consider and contest.     

Cockpit-cabin communication: II. Shall we tell the pilots?

In a previous article (Chute & Wiener, 1995), we explored the coordination between the "two cultures" in an airliner's crew: cockpit and cabin. In this article, we discuss a particular problem: the dilemma facing the cabin crew when they feel that they have safety-critical information and must decide whether to take it to the cockpit. We explore the reasons for the reluctance of the flight attendant to come forward with the information, such as self-doubt about the accuracy or importance of the information, fear of dismissal or rebuke by the pilots, and misunderstanding of the sterile cockpit rule. Insight into crew attitudes was based on our examination of accident and incident reports and data from questionnaires submitted by pilots and flight attendants at two airlines. The results show confusion and disagreement about what is permissible to take to the cockpit when it is sterile, as well as imbalances in authority and operational knowledge. Possible remedies are proposed.     

Emotional attachment and mobile phones

Conclusion This article has provided, through reference to recent research, insights into the ways that people are using their mobile phones in their everyday lives and in particular it has explored and examined the concept of emotional attachment to the mobile phone. In offering some explanations for this seemingly unique behaviour it has highlighted the role of the social groups or buddy groups as the focus for the emotional attachment. The constant changes that occur in people’s everyday lives frequently involve the use of mobile phones—even if the people do not have one of their own. The rearranging of appointments, the casual setting up of new ones, the relationships between lovers conducted by text and the reassuring contact between families all have some effect on the individual’s autopoiesis. The multiple roles of the mobile phone in everyday life adds to the complexity of the debate but underlying the functional purposes is this constant and increasing emotional attachment. The assertion that this is in part due to the senses being pierced by all that the device engenders offers some explanation for this emotional attachment and is certainly an area for further study within the mobile communications social sciences and engineering communities. Specialising in the social shaping of mobile communications, she is also studying for a PhD. Prior to joining DWRC in 2001 she worked for twenty years in the European mobile communications industry.     

‘Mr. MASS motivations himself’: explaining Dr. Ernest Dichter

• During the 1950s and into the 1960s no marketing consultant was better known than Dr. Ernest Dichter (1907–1993). Business leaders, advertising professionals, journalists, and even academics attributed to Dichter near‐magical powers to penetrate to the very heart of consumer motivations with his unique psychoanalytic version of ‘Motivation Research’. Social critics saw him as a menace to free societies.
• Much of what he claimed, however, was inaccurate and needs to be critically checked against other sources, as will be done here, where archival and other primary sources are evaluated to explore Dichter's career and his legacy.
• Dichter exploited the esteem of psychoanalysis yet was not particularly well versed in it himself. He was hardly the ‘father’ of Motivation Research (MR) but rather took from its originators without acknowledgement. His work represented only part of MR.
• On the positive side, Dichter's creative and intuitive approach enabled him to portray consumer behavior in ways that celebrated mass affluence, enriched popular mythology, and still influences advertising creatives.

Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mobile Communication and Civil Society: Linking Patterns and Places of Use to Engagement with Others in Public

This study examined whether and how mobile communication influences the extent to which one engages with new people in public settings. Contrary to our expectation, general use of the technology in public did not detract from conversing with strangers. Shifting focus from where one uses the mobile phone to how it is used, we found that uses for coordination and news each lead to increased conversations with strangers in public settings, while relational use detracted from them. The findings also reveal an interactive effect such that those who use mobile technology for news and frequently use it in public were more likely to engage with strangers in public. The discussion offers interpretation of the findings and directions for future research.     

Factors influencing self‐report of mobile phone use: the role of response prompt,time reference and mobile phone use in recall

The current study (n = 180) assesses factors affecting the recall of past mobile phone behaviour. It manipulates two factors hypothesised as influencing recall of duration and number of calls made: time reference (24 hours vs. 3 days) and context prompt (temporal, person called, reason for call) and also considers their impact in relation to levels of mobile phone use. A measure of recall error was constructed by matching self‐reported calls to actual calls and weighting for actual usage. The results indicate that most people tend to overestimate duration and underestimate number of phone calls, although these discrepancies are related to actual amount of mobile phone use. The manipulations of time reference and context prompt have some effect on the patterns of recall in relation to number, rather than duration, of calls. The implications of these results for the development of reliable and valid self‐report measures of mobile phone use are discussed. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Beijing Calling... Mobile Communication in Contemporary China

Subsequently, with the recent wave of industrialization, China has become the “factory” of the globalized world. The modernization of this country, however, is not confined to the provision of production at a low added value: It also entails technological appropriation and innovation. In particular, China represents the biggest world market for mobile phones and will soon dominate the Internet market. In this country, the total number of mobile and fixed-line subscribers exceeds 750 million, and the total number of Internet users is more than 162 million. The present study focuses on how, after a decade of mobile phone use, the inhabitants of Beijing evaluate the changes in the social and communicative sphere as a result of the introduction of the mobile phone. In this paper, we present some results of a quantitative research, specifically focused on mobile communication. Based on face-to-face questionnaires administered to a convenient sample of 487 respondents, this study addresses the following research questions: After a decade of mobile phone use, how do Chinese people perceive the importance of this device? To what extent do the adoption and use of mobile phones increase or decrease social connectivity in contemporary China? To what extent does the use of mobile phones in everyday life enhance or reduce the communications – do they make you feel closer to or more distant from other people? What are the variables that predict users’ attitudes toward mobile phones in China?     

尽责性对问题性手机使用的影响：时间管理倾向和自我控制的链式中介作用

采用中国版10项目大五人格量表、问题性手机使用量表、青少年时间管理倾向量表和自我控制量表调查1200名青少年尽责性对问题性手机使用的作用机制。结果表明：尽责性能够通过自我控制的中介作用影响问题性手机使用,但这一路径效应较低;尽责性能够通过时间监控观和自我控制的链式中介作用反向预测问题性手机使用行为的产生。这说明尽责性主要通过时间监控观和自我控制影响问题性手机使用行为。