The Impact of Digital Media on Youths’ Attention Development #3
Description
Research question(s)
Do adolescents' attention networks adapt to increasing amounts of screen time and the attentional demands which accompany it?
H1: Based on the typical neural development of adolescence (Thomas et al., 2020; Klenberg et al., 2010), we expect activation in vigilant attention clusters (BA 32, 22, 9, & 47; Morandini et al., 2020) to increase from ages 9 to 12 among low digital media users.
H2: However, for high digital media users, we hypothesize a decrease in the activation of vigilant attention clusters over time.
(Variables of Interest: Youth screen time questionnaire & SST fMRI task)
Description
Digital entertainment is designed to sustain an individual's attention by minimizing the need for active vigilant attention processing (Exogenous) or self-regulation (Endogenous; Kokoç et al., 2021; Portugal et al., 2021; Ra, 2019). As youth develop alongside the advancing digital landscape, it would be interesting to examine how individuals adapt to digital demands on attention. Longitudinal studies have observed positive relationships between screen time and the development of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptomatology, but changes in the attention system at a neurological level have yet to be examined in healthy populations (Corkin et al., 2021; Soares et al., 2021).
Tools and algorithms to be used
Tools
fMRIPrep
Nilearn & nipype
Python
R
Statistical Approaches
Factorial repeated measures ANOVA
Open to Suggestions
Skills we could use help with
Nipype
FSL
Suggested keywords/tags
Attention
fMRI
Screen Time
Longitudinal