Behavioral Sciences

679 KiB

Open AccessReview

Neuroscience of Internet Pornography Addiction: A Review and Update

by Todd Love, Christian Laier, Matthias Brand, Linda Hatch and Raju Hajela

Behav. Sci. 2015, 5(3), 388-433; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs5030388 - 18 Sep 2015

Cited by 152 | Viewed by 160665

Many recognize that several behaviors potentially affecting the reward circuitry in human brains lead to a loss of control and other symptoms of addiction in at least some individuals. Regarding Internet addiction, neuroscientific research supports the assumption that underlying neural processes are similar to substance addiction. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) has recognized one such Internet related behavior, Internet gaming, as a potential addictive disorder warranting further study, in the 2013 revision of their Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. Other Internet related behaviors, e.g., Internet pornography use, were not covered. Within this review, we give a summary of the concepts proposed underlying addiction and give an overview about neuroscientific studies on Internet addiction and Internet gaming disorder. Moreover, we reviewed available neuroscientific literature on Internet pornography addiction and connect the results to the addiction model. The review leads to the conclusion that Internet pornography addiction fits into the addiction framework and shares similar basic mechanisms with substance addiction. Together with studies on Internet addiction and Internet Gaming Disorder we see strong evidence for considering addictive Internet behaviors as behavioral addiction. Future research needs to address whether or not there are specific differences between substance and behavioral addiction. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Addictive Behaviors: Assessment and Treatment)

333 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Advances in Environmental Psychology

by Jack L. Nasar

Behav. Sci. 2015, 5(3), 384-387; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs5030384 - 9 Sep 2015

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 7171

Abstract

When Plenum stopped publishing its edited series—Human Behavior and Environment and Advances in Environment, Behavior and Design—the field of environmental psychology suffered a loss. Scholars could go to one of the edited Plenum books to find state-of-the-art reviews on existing and [...] Read more.

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Environmental Psychology)

371 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Refining Measures for Assessing Problematic/Addictive Digital Gaming Use in Clinical and Research Settings

by Kyle Faust and David Faust

Behav. Sci. 2015, 5(3), 372-383; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs5030372 - 12 Aug 2015

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 7092

Abstract

Problematic or addictive digital gaming (including all types of electronic devices) can and has had extremely adverse impacts on the lives of many individuals across the world. The understanding of this phenomenon, and the effectiveness of treatment design and monitoring, can be improved considerably by continuing refinement of assessment tools. The present article briefly overviews tools designed to measure problematic or addictive use of digital gaming, the vast majority of which are founded on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) criteria for other addictive disorders, such as pathological gambling. Although adapting DSM content and strategies for measuring problematic digital gaming has proven valuable, there are some potential issues with this approach. We discuss the strengths and limitations of current methods for measuring problematic or addictive gaming and provide various recommendations that might help in enhancing or supplementing existing tools, or in developing new and even more effective tools. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Addictive Behaviors: Assessment and Treatment)

1649 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Neural Adaptation Effects in Conceptual Processing

by Barbara F. M. Marino, Anna M. Borghi, Luca Gemmi, Cristina Cacciari and Lucia Riggio

Behav. Sci. 2015, 5(3), 353-371; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs5030353 - 31 Jul 2015

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 6217

Abstract

We investigated the conceptual processing of nouns referring to objects characterized by a highly typical color and orientation. We used a go/no-go task in which we asked participants to categorize each noun as referring or not to natural entities (e.g., animals) after a selective adaptation of color-edge neurons in the posterior LV4 region of the visual cortex was induced by means of a McCollough effect procedure. This manipulation affected categorization: the green-vertical adaptation led to slower responses than the green-horizontal adaptation, regardless of the specific color and orientation of the to-be-categorized noun. This result suggests that the conceptual processing of natural entities may entail the activation of modality-specific neural channels with weights proportional to the reliability of the signals produced by these channels during actual perception. This finding is discussed with reference to the debate about the grounded cognition view. Full article

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439 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Internet Process Addiction Test: Screening for Addictions to Processes Facilitated by the Internet

by Jason C. Northrup, Coady Lapierre, Jeffrey Kirk and Cosette Rae

Behav. Sci. 2015, 5(3), 341-352; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs5030341 - 28 Jul 2015

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 13942

Abstract

The Internet Process Addiction Test (IPAT) was created to screen for potential addictive behaviors that could be facilitated by the internet. The IPAT was created with the mindset that the term “Internet addiction” is structurally problematic, as the Internet is simply the medium that one uses to access various addictive processes. The role of the internet in facilitating addictions, however, cannot be minimized. A new screening tool that effectively directed researchers and clinicians to the specific processes facilitated by the internet would therefore be useful. This study shows that the Internet Process Addiction Test (IPAT) demonstrates good validity and reliability. Four addictive processes were effectively screened for with the IPAT: Online video game playing, online social networking, online sexual activity, and web surfing. Implications for further research and limitations of the study are discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Addictive Behaviors: Assessment and Treatment)

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Behav. Sci., Volume 5, Issue 3 (September 2015) – 5 articles , Pages 341-433

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