Thesis

Is there evidence for attentional bias to social media stimuli in social media users? : Technology bringing us closer together or pulling us further apart?

Downloadable Content

Download PDF
Creator
Rights statement
Awarding institution
  • University of Strathclyde
Date of award
  • 2026
Thesis identifier
  • T17630
Person Identifier (Local)
  • 202057890
Qualification Level
Qualification Name
Department, School or Faculty
Abstract
  • The rapid proliferation of social media has prompted critical inquiry into its psychological consequences, particularly its potential to foster addictive behaviours. Grounded in cognitive and addiction frameworks—most notably Incentive Sensitisation Theory (IST)—this thesis explores whether social media users exhibit attentional biases towards social media-related stimuli and whether these biases are moderated by factors such as screen time, craving, and problematic use. Across three experiments, different attentional paradigms were employed: Experiment 1 utilised the Flicker-Induced Change Blindness (FICB) paradigm to assess selective visual attention to Instagram-related images; Experiments 2 and 3 implemented the Dot Probe paradigm, with the latter introducing temporal variations to distinguish between initial orienting and sustained attention. Findings provide partial support for the presence of attentional biases to social media cues, particularly under short display durations, aligning with IST’s assertion that repeated cue exposure enhances motivational salience. However, the results also highlight methodological and conceptual complexities—such as stimulus timing, task sensitivity, and individual differences—that challenge the consistency of these effects. This thesis contributes to the emerging field of behavioural addictions by offering nuanced insights into the cognitive mechanisms underpinning problematic social media engagement, and by critically evaluating the ecological and theoretical validity of commonly used attentional bias paradigms. Implications for diagnostic models, intervention development, and future research directions are discussed.
Advisor / supervisor
  • Butler, Stephen H.
Resource Type
DOI
Alternative Title
  • Technology bringing us closer together or pulling us further apart?

Relations

Items

Thumbnail Title Date Uploaded Visibility Actions
file details PDF of thesis T17630 2026-02-24 Public Download