Beyond Self-Report: Tools to Compare Estimated and Real-World Smartphone Use

Summary

Psychologists typically rely on self-report data when quantifying mobile phone usage, despite little evidence of its validity. In this paper we explore the accuracy of using self-reported estimates when compared with actual smartphone use. We also include source code to process and visualise these data. We compared 23 participants’ actual smartphone use over a two-week period with self-reported estimates and the Mobile Phone Problem Use Scale. Our results indicate that estimated time spent using a smartphone may be an adequate measure of use, unless a greater resolution of data are required. Estimates concerning the number of times an individual used their phone across a typical day did not correlate with actual smartphone use. Neither estimated duration nor number of uses correlated with the Mobile Phone Problem Use Scale. We conclude that estimated smartphone use should be interpreted with caution in psychological research.

Related articles

• Adler's Individual Psychology Feelings of Inferiority and th

  Adler's Individual Psychology Feelings of Inferiority and the Striving for Superiority Alfred Adler's Individual Psychology begins from a radically different set of assumptions than Freud's. Where Freud emphasises

• Applying Freudian Psychoanalytic Theory and Adlerian Individ

  Applying Freudian Psychoanalytic Theory and Adlerian Individual Psychology to Personal Life Experience Introduction Personology is the branch of psychology that focuses on the study of the individual's characteristics

• Industrial Psychology

  This document explores various theories and concepts within the field of industrial psychology, focusing on organizational behavior, management theories, and approaches to enhance workplace efficiency.

• Testing the Triggering Hypothesis: Effect of Cognate Status on Code-Switching and Disfluencies

  This study investigates the "triggering hypothesis" in bilingual language use, examining how cognates influence code-switching and disfluencies among English-Spanish bilinguals during a picture-naming task.

• A beautiful loop: An active inference theory of consciousness

  This document discusses the Beautiful Loop Theory, which posits that active inference can model consciousness by fulfilling three essential conditions for generating awareness and understanding cognitive processes. It explores the role of world models, inferential competition, and epistemic depth in consciousness.