Compensatory beliefs in the internet gratification behavior: A study of game-based assessment

Abstract

Internet gratification behaviors (IGB) may lead to sub-optimal performance in schools and workplace as well as mental health problems such as Internet addiction. The present research examines this phenomenon, focusing on the compensatory belief (CB)—a belief that the negative impact of a certain behavior can be compensated or neutralized by another positive behavior—as a potential psychological mechanism for IGB. An interactive-narrative-style game-based assessment was designed and responses from a random-sampled population of 1,298 participants including college students and organizational employees were collected online. It was found that around 40% of college students and organizational employees would activate some kind of compensatory beliefs when facing with the internet temptation. Those who failed to perform compensatory behaviors afterwards were more likely to regret than those who were able to perform them, which was consistent with the prediction of the CB theory. This study expands the applicability of the CB theory to the field of internet addiction, enriches the understanding of the psychological mechanisms of internet addiction, and suggests that the interactive-narrative-style game-based assessment may be a practical method to study the CB.

Development and Validation of the Compensatory Belief Scale for the Internet Instant Gratification Behavior

“…The versatility of the CB theory is evident in its application across diverse domains from health behaviors to driving safety and environmental considerations [ 8 , [13] , [14] , [15] ]. Building upon this foundation, our prior research substantiates the utility of the CB theory in understanding the cognitive processes steering individuals when enticed by online allurements and the subsequent psychological and behavioral repercussions [ 16 ]. A model based on the CB theory for Internet gratification behaviors is illustrated in Fig.…”

“…1 ). These qualitative insights informed the creation of an Interactive-Narrative-Style Game-Based Assessment (IN-GBA) to generate a more nuanced behavioral dataset [ 16 ]. This tool was designed to emulate real-world choices in internet instant gratification scenarios, thereby enriching the data necessary for scale development.…”

“…The primary objectives of this IN-GBA were two-fold: 1) to delve into the application of the theory of CBs in the context of IIGB and empirically verify the theoretical model underpinning our scale development; 2) to serve as an instrumental method for establishing the face validity and examining the predictive validity of the developed scale. Our preceding research, utilizing the IN-GBA as described, successfully accomplished the first objective [ 16 ], and the current investigation is using the IN-GBA to fulfil the second objective while developing the scale.…”

“…1 The Compensatory Belief Model for Internet Instant Gratification Behavior (Authorized reuse from Ref. [ 16 ]). …”

Development and validation of Chinese compensatory health beliefs scale

“…Such endeavors are crucial for identifying the determinants of health beliefs and their correlations with unhealthy behaviors, offering a solid basis for targeted health promotion strategies in China. Through empirical studies, this tool can significantly advance our understanding of CHBs and their impact on behaviors such as Internet addiction ( 42 ) in the Chinese context, providing theoretical and practical insights for health promotion efforts.…”