PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF THE INTERNET

Prerequisites & course information

Requisites: PSYCH 401 , 403 , 405 , 406 , 413, 414 , 428, 449 , 450 , 454 , 456 , 460 , 462 , 464 , SOC/PSYCH 453 , PSYCH/GEN&WS 522 , or ZOOLOGY/PSYCH 523 Course Designation: Core GenEd - Social & Behavioral Science Breadth - Social Science Level - Intermediate L&S Credit - L&S Liberal Arts and Science Repeatable for Credit: No Last Taught: Spring 2026 Learning Outcomes: 1. Identify nine previous technologies or past-times that were previously feared - and appraise how those fears parallel fears about the internet. Audience: Undergraduate 2. Assess five principles of learning on which Internet based higher education capitalizes. Audience: Undergraduate 3. Evaluate five challenges that college students face today and how Internet based education can tackle each challenge. Audience: Undergraduate 4. Critique the claim that the Internet is making interpersonal communication briefer and less formal. Audience: Undergraduate 5. Illustrate four intentional and four unintentional incidents in which the Internet has amplified mass communication. Audience: Undergraduate 6. Connect the social psychological principle of similarity attraction to the popularity of online dating apps; connect interpersonal aggression to the phenomena of online bullying and trolling. Audience: Undergraduate 7. Interpret how and why emotional contagion spreads through the Internet; hypothesize why there are so many photos, gifs, and videos of cats on the Internet. Audience: Undergraduate 8. Identify how each of the six sources of motivation can affect Internet use; describe five reasons why people bing watch (TV shows or movies). Audience: Undergraduate 9. Adjudicate four reasons why the Internet is not changing our attention spans. Audience: Undergraduate 10. Descriminate three primary decision making heuristics and generate an example of how each applies to internet use Audience: Undergraduate 11. Relate two positive effects of Internet use on agin and two on child development. Audience: Undergraduate 12. Explain how much variance in Internet activities is accounted for by personality factors; describe four famous selfies made prior to the Internet. Audience: Undergraduate 13. Evaluate whether Internet-based psychological therapy works as well as in-person therapy. Audience: Undergraduate 14. Formulate two ways that secondary Internet data (Facebook likes, Tweets, Wikipedia clicks, etc.) can answer psychological research questions. Audience: Undergraduate Learning Outcomes: 1. Identify nine previous technologies or past-times that were previously feared - and appraise how those fears parallel fears about the internet. Audience: Undergraduate 2. Assess five principles of learning on which Internet based higher education capitalizes. Audience: Undergraduate 3. Evaluate five challenges that college students face today and how Internet based education can tackle each challenge. Audience: Undergraduate 4. Critique the claim that the Internet is making interpersonal communication briefer and less formal. Audience: Undergraduate 5. Illustrate four intentional and four unintentional incidents in which the Internet has amplified mass communication. Audience: Undergraduate 6. Connect the social psychological principle of similarity attraction to the popularity of online dating apps; connect interpersonal aggression to the phenomena of online bullying and trolling. Audience: Undergraduate 7. Interpret how and why emotional contagion spreads through the Internet; hypothesize why there are so many photos, gifs, and videos of cats on the Internet. Audience: Undergraduate 8. Identify how each of the six sources of motivation can affect Internet use; describe five reasons why people bing watch (TV shows or movies). Audience: Undergraduate 9. Adjudicate four reasons why the Internet is not changing our attention spans. Audience: Undergraduate 10. Descriminate three primary decision making heuristics and generate an example of how each applies to internet use Audience: Undergraduate 11. Relate two positive effects of Internet use on agin and two on child development. Audience: Undergraduate 12. Explain how much variance in Internet activities is accounted for by personality factors; describe four famous selfies made prior to the Internet. Audience: Undergraduate 13. Evaluate whether Internet-based psychological therapy works as well as in-person therapy. Audience: Undergraduate 14. Formulate two ways that secondary Internet data (Facebook likes, Tweets, Wikipedia clicks, etc.) can answer psychological research questions. Audience: Undergraduate