A cross-cultural behavioral economic analysis of compulsive Internet use: Data from six countries

ACUFF, SAMUEL F.; PILATTI, ANGELINA; LEONARD, S; COLLINS, M; HIDES, LEANNE; THINGUJAM, N. S; CHAI, WEN JIA; SHUAI, C; HOGARTH, LEE; MURPHY, JAMES G.

Congreso; Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies; 2019

Research has demonstrated that repeated engagement in low-effort behaviors that are associatedwith immediate reward, such as Internet use, can result in a pathological reinforcement process inwhich the behavior is increasingly selected over other activities due, in part, to a low availability ofalternative activities and to a strong preference for immediate rather than delayed rewards (delaydiscounting). However, this reinforcer pathology model has not been generalized to other Internetrelated behaviors, such as online gaming or smartphone use. Given the widespread availability of these technologies, it is also important to examine whether reinforcer pathology of Internetrelated behaviors is culturally universal or culture-specific. The current study examines relations between behavioral economic constructs (Internet demand, delay discounting, and alternative reinforcement) and Internet-related addictive behaviors (harmful Internet use, smartphone use, online gaming, and Internet sexual behavior) in a cross-sectional sample of college students (N = 1,406) from six different countries (Argentina, Australia, India, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, and the United States). Using structural equation modeling, Internet demand was associated with harmful Internet use, smartphone use, and online gaming; delay discounting was associated with harmful smartphone use; and alternative reinforcement was associated with harmful Internet and smartphone use. The models were partially invariant across countries. However, mean levels of behavioral economic variables differed across countries, country-level gross domestic product, person-level income, and sex at birth. Results support behavioral economic theory and highlight the importance of considering both individual and country-level sociocultural contextual factors in models for understanding harmful engagement with Internet-related behaviors