The potential role of brief online studies in changing the types of research and theories likely to evolve is examined in the context of earlier changes in theory and methods in social and personality psychology, changes that favored low-difficulty, high-volume studies. An evolutionary metaphor suggests that the current publication environment of social and personality psychology is a highly competitive one, and that academic survival and reproduction processes (getting a job, tenure/promotion, grants, awards, good graduate students) can result in the extinction of important research domains. Tracking the prevalence of brief online studies, exemplified by studies using Amazon Mechanical Turk, in three top journals ( Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology) reveals a dramatic increase in their frequency and proportion. Implications, suggestions, and questions concerning this trend for the field and questions for its practitioners are discussed.

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Players’ use of video games to cope with stress and anxiety may be an important etiological factor in video game addiction. The present research tests the hypothesis that people with greater anxiety and who use video games as a means of coping with that anxiety are more prone to video game addiction. The hypothesis was tested in 2 survey studies using undergraduate samples. Study 1 found that using video games as a means of coping with setbacks or stress uniquely predicted video game addiction symptoms, even after controlling for frequency of gameplay and other maladaptive coping mechanisms. Serial mediation analysis provided evidence that anxiety associated with mental illness may prompt greater use of video games as a coping mechanism, something which, in turn, is associated with greater video game addiction. Study 2 replicated this serial mediation model. Although limited in their ability to infer causal direction, the studies do suggest the importance of assessing the role of player motivation in future studies about video game addiction, which may help clinicians and media researchers better understand the etiology and potential treatment of video game addiction.

The purpose of this research was to develop a measure that systematically assesses the various components of film and TV fan identity and to test its connection to well-being. Across 2 studies, the multidimensional Fan Identity Scale was developed and validated. The resulting 9-item survey yielded 3 factors that encompassed both personal and social dimensions of fan identity. In Study 2, the relationship between these dimensions and 3 facets of well-being was also explored. Results indicated that overall fan identity predicted overall well-being. In addition, social fan identity predicted relational well-being and marginally predicted physical well-being. Avenues for future research involving the Fan Identity Scale are discussed. Public Policy Relevance StatementThe Fan Identity Scale developed in the present research is used to classify fans of stories (like film and TV fans) by their enthusiasm, social behavior, and meaningful interactions with the story. The questionnaire was used to assess the way psychologically healthy fans incorporate popular media into their lives. Fan identity was related to overall well-being, and social fan identity was related to relational well-being.

Two studies investigated the relationship between fan group participation and global citizenship identification—self-identifying as a member of a global community with a sense of responsibility to act toward the betterment of that global community. In Study 1, surveys were given to members of a fandom that frequently engages in charity and values diversity, empathy, and helping. Surveys were also given to a comparison group: an online sample of Americans whose fan identities were not salient. In Study 2, surveys were given to undergrads that belonged to diverse fandoms (e.g., music, sport, TV show) and differed in the extent to which they were seen to value global citizenship. In both studies, participants who belonged to fandoms that valued global citizenship were more likely to self-identify as global citizens. This relationship was mediated by two factors: perceiving close others as valuing global citizenship and a sense of global awareness—an awareness of global interconnectedness. Identifying as a global citizen was also associated with greater endorsement of prosocial values such as diversity. Together, the results demonstrate a relationship between fandom participation and identity, attitudes, values, with behavioral implications.