Dual-systems Perspective Research Articles

Exploring the Routines from Fear of Missing Out to Cyberchondria via a Dual System Perspective

Drawing on the dual system theory, a configuration model for cyberchondria was proposed to explore the complex interplay between the individual characteristics, socioemotional system, and cognitive control system in causing cyberchondria. A questionnaire was distributed to users who have searched for health information on social media platforms. A total of 320 valid responses were collected. The fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) method was employed to analyse the data. Four equifinal configurations leading to cyberchondria were identified, with fear of missing out, perceived information overload, and perceived communication overload as core conditions. Additionally, one configuration leading to the absence of cyberchondria was identified. We further explored the configurations for the four sub-dimensions of cyberchondria. The results revealed four configurations for excessiveness, two for distress, one for compulsion, and three for reassurance. Four theoretical propositions leading to cyberchondria and its sub-dimensions are proposed. This provides a dual system perspective into how fear of missing out can evolve into cyberchondria and explains the complexities of cyberchondria between different individuals.

Like it, buy it? Examining the role of bookmarking in the mediation of visual appeal and purchase intent from a dual-system perspective

PurposeWhile prior studies have explored the relationship between visual appeal and purchasing decisions, the role of bookmarking has largely been underemphasized. This research aims to address this gap by focusing on the impact of bookmarking on consumer behavior, guided by the cognitive load theory and dual-system theory.Design/methodology/approachThe authors executed a controlled experiment and analyzed the results using a two-stage regression method that linked visual appeal, bookmarking and purchase intent. Further empirical analysis was conducted to authenticate the authors' proposed model, utilizing real-world mobile commerce data from a clothing company.FindingsThis study's findings suggest that visual appeal influences purchase intent primarily through the full mediation of bookmarking, rather than exerting a direct influence. Furthermore, an increase in colorfulness corresponds positively with visual appeal, while visual complexity exhibits an inverted U-shaped relationship with it.Originality/valueThis study provides novel insights into the choice-set formation process through the theoretical lens of dual-system theory. Additionally, the authors employed an image processing technique to quantify a product's visual appeal as depicted in a photograph. This study also incorporates a comprehensive econometric analysis to connect the objective aspects of visual appeal with subjective responses.

Rational versus Irrational Behavior of Indonesian Cryptocurrency Owners in Making Investment Decision

The purpose of this study is to investigate the salient factors that influence Indonesian cryptocurrency owners in making their investment decision. This study employs intergroup bias, subjective norms, overborrowing, and spending control to explain cryptocurrency investment behavior. The questionnaire was collected from 309 respondents from the five largest internet user areas: Jakarta, Surabaya, Bandung, Semarang, and Medan. This study executes the research framework using binary logistic regression. The results reveal that intergroup bias and overborrowing are the most impulsive factors contributing to the cryptocurrency investment decisions over the past year. Furthermore, after November 2021, Indonesian crypto owners are more irrational in a bearish period since their investment decisions are driven by their desire to be accepted in the social group. Moreover, when they have overindebtedness, instead of solving their debt problems, they prefer to spend their money on cryptocurrency investments. The subjective norms’ influencers suggest that crypto owners not invest when the cryptocurrency price is sharply declining. The findings contribute to the dual-systems perspective and social contagion theories, enriching the empirical study regarding investment behavior.

Cognitive process underlying ultimatum game: An eye-tracking study from a dual-system perspective.

According to the dual-system theories, the decisions in an ultimatum game (UG) are governed by the automatic System 1 and the controlled System 2. The former drives the preference for fairness, whereas the latter drives the self-interest motive. However, the association between the contributions of the two systems in UG and the cognitive process needs more direct evidence. In the present study, we used the process dissociation procedure to estimate the contributions of the two systems and recorded participants eye movements to examine the cognitive processes underlying UG decisions. Results showed that the estimated contributions of the two systems are uncorrelated and that they demonstrate a dissociated pattern of associations with third variables, such as reaction time (RT) and mean fixation duration (MFD). Furthermore, the relative time advantage (RTA) and the transitions between the two payoffs can predict the final UG decisions. Our findings provide evidence for the independent contributions of preference for fairness (System 1) and self-interest maximizing (System 2) inclinations to UG and shed light on the underlying processes.

How mindfulness decreases cyberloafing at work: a dual-system theory perspective

ABSTRACT Cyberloafing is a prevalent phenomenon in organisations that may cause serious problems. In previous studies, cyberloafing has been studied as planned and intentional behaviour. Interestingly, we have observed that cyberloafing frequently happens when employees use smartphones to assist with work tasks, but they may not necessarily intend to engage in this activity. We distinguish between active and passive cyberloafing and focus on studying the latter. Based on dual-systems theory, we introduce the construct of mindfulness in the exploration of the antecedences and internal mechanism of passive cyberloafing. We conducted a research survey with employees who use smartphones to assist with work tasks and collected 474 valid questionnaires to examine our research model. The results showed that dual systems are associated with cyberloafing by influencing mind-wandering, and mindfulness significantly decreased mind-wandering when using a smartphone. This study analyses cyberloafing from an innovative neuroscience perspective and contributes to the literature by proposing a new classification of cyberloafing behaviour, reveals the internal mechanism of how dual systems impact an individual’s behaviour, and introduces mindfulness as an antecedent factor of dual systems.

Dynamic changes in the food-cue processing of obese adolescents: A controlled eye-tracking study from a dual-system perspective

Adolescent obesity is a growing global health problem. Studies have demonstrated that exposure to food cues plays a role in both the development and the persistence of obesity. Understanding how visual attention changes dynamically in response to food cues may explain how they contribute to obesity. The primary aims were to evaluate attentional bias for food cues and conduct a time-course analysis of obese adolescents' food-cue processing. We also investigated the roles of inhibition, cognitive flexibility, and eating styles in their visual attention to food stimuli. A total of 60 age- and gender-matched 12-16-year-olds (n = 30, obese group; n = 30, control group; M = 13.9 years, SD = 1.26) were included in this study's sample. The participants viewed a series of high-calorie and low-calorie food images along with nonfood images in the free exploration paradigm during eye-tracking. Time-course analysis of the proportion of fixations on images of food and high-calorie foods determined that the attentional processing of the two groups differed, especially in later stages. The obese group had higher Stroop Interference and Trail Making Test-B scores than the control group, but these executive functions' scores did not affect their proportions of fixations on food and high-calorie food images over time. Higher Perceptual Reasoning Index scores led to a decrease in the proportions of fixations on high-calorie food images over time in the obese group, and this was particularly noticeable after about 4000 ms. This study found that time-course analysis of visual attention to food cues allows us to understand how it changes dynamically over larger time intervals. Future studies should provide knowledge about maintained attention for food cues and their relationship with top-down factors in obese adolescents.

비트코인 투자행위에 대한 인지적 의사결정 프로세스 연구

The purpose of this study is to examine users’ decision-making mechanism of Bitcoin investment behavior and its sequential consequences from a dual-systems perspective. Original data were collected via a survey of 334 participants with experience in Bitcoin investment. The partial least squares method was used to test the proposed model. The results of this study revealed that Bitcoin investment behavior is driven by strong impulse and weak self-control, leading to negative consequences. The extent of the imbalance between the two cognitive systems is greater with the subjective norm than without it, thus facilitating Bitcoin investment behavior. Noteworthy differences in the impulse and self-control effects on Bitcoin investment are found with differences in Bitcoin objective and subjective knowledge. This study is the first attempt to empirically investigate users’ decision-making mechanism used when investigating in Bitcoin.

Four Flavours of Customers: A dual-system perspective on self-service technology use

Self-service technologies (SSTs) increasingly permeate retail spaces. To make their SST investments worthwhile, retailers need to turn enough customers into SST users. Previous research has uncovered the significance of habitual behaviour stemming from prior experience and situational factors from the environment on SST use. However, consumers are likely to vary regarding the extent they are driven by either habit or situational factors, suggesting that different types of consumers might exist in this regard. In this paper, we probe these consumer types in a real-life choice situation by studying the choice of selecting a checkout option (either staffed or self-checkout). We conduct a field study employing mixed qualitative methods by observing and interviewing customers checking out from retail stores. We discover four distinct customer types regarding the extent of reflexive (automatic) and reflective (deliberate) processing they use in their checkout selection: habitual traditional checkout users, habitual SCO users, situational users, and drifting users. We discuss the implications of our findings by linking the cognitive processing styles to the different stages of technology acceptance. Our main contribution lies in the development of a typology of consumers based on their selection between SST and human-delivered service.

Are you keeping your Facebook passions and habit under control? A dual-system perspective on Facebook addiction-like symptoms

ABSTRACT After many years of techno-enthusiasm, public discourse has turned to the dark side of technology and notably the dysfunctional consequences (e.g., addiction-like symptoms) of excessive social media use. Recent research in this area draws on dual-system theory and demonstrates that while habit predicts use, it does not directly predict addiction-like symptoms. This is not surprising, since habit lacks valence and its measurement does not discriminate between desirable and undesirable use. To clarify the antecedents of addiction-like symptoms, this paper extends prior research by drawing on the dualistic theory of passions and argues that habit is a manifestation of harmonious and obsessive passions that are anchored in the user’s identity. By applying structural equation modeling on survey responses from 225 U.S.-based users, we first replicate and confirm the main findings of prior studies and then proceed to show that harmonious and obsessive passion drive Facebook habit and use. Moreover, obsessive passion emerges as the exclusive driver of addiction-like Facebook symptoms while the restraining effect of self-control is mediated by the two passions, as well as habit and use. The main finding is that the dual-system explaining Facebook addiction-like symptoms comprises of obsessive passion as the direct driving force and self-control as the indirect preventative restraining force. Our analysis contributes to the debate about mitigating the negative effects of social media and opens up new questions for further research.

Rural and urban general education teachers’ instructional strategies in inclusive classrooms in China: a dual system perspective

ABSTRACT Due to China’s unique rural-urban dual system, education differs significantly between rural and urban schools. However, research related to the rural-urban disparity in inclusive education is limited. Moreover, general education teachers’ instructional strategies, in particular, remain unclear and could be studied further. To bridge this gap, a qualitative method was adopted to interview 16 general education teachers in rural and urban inclusive classrooms in China, and the differences in inclusive instructional strategies, teaching design, and support for and barriers to general education teachers’ inclusive instruction were explored. The findings showed that shorter assignments and different expectations were the most frequently utilised strategies in inclusive classrooms; teachers’ teaching designs were significantly geared towards general education instead of students’ individualised needs, and the barriers to inclusive instruction were far greater than the support obtained. Moreover, general education teachers in urban areas adopted more teaching strategies, had fewer barriers to inclusive instruction while receiving more support than rural teachers. Implications for future research and practices in the field of general education teachers’ instructional strategies in inclusive education were discussed.

Understanding speculative investment behavior in the Bitcoin context from a dual-systems perspective

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine users’ decision-making mechanism of speculative investment behavior and its sequential consequences in the Bitcoin context from a dual-systems perspective.Design/methodology/approachOriginal data were collected via a survey of 334 participants with experience in Bitcoin speculative investment. The partial least squares method was used to test the proposed model.FindingsSpeculative investment behavior in the Bitcoin context is driven by strong impulse and weak self-control, leading to negative consequences. The extent of the imbalance between the two cognitive systems is greater with the subjective norm than without it, thus facilitating speculative investment behavior. Noteworthy differences in the impulse and self-control effects on Bitcoin speculative investment are found with differences in Bitcoin objective and subjective knowledge.Originality/valueThis study is the first attempt to empirically investigate users’ decision-making mechanism used when speculating in Bitcoin.

Understanding Chinese rural-to-urban migrant children’s education predicament: A dual system perspective

The rural-to-urban migrant children’s education predicament in China’s major cities is well known. While the hukou system has been widely criticized for depriving many migrant children of quality education in recent years, we suggest that this is only the tip of the iceberg. The principal obstacle faced by the migrant children is China’s rural-urban dual system, which is the foundation of contemporary Chinese development. This article intends to shed light on the plight of these migrant children by elaborating on the relationship between the Chinese rural-urban dual system and the practice of development in China. The article concludes that these migrant children, stranded between the two systems, are the de facto victims of Chinese development, which has been based on a long-maintained “one country, two societies” strategy since the 1950s

A dual-systems perspective on temporal cognition: Implications for the role of emotion.

This commentary explores how emotion fits in the dual-systems model of temporal cognition proposed by Hoerl & McCormack. The updating system would be affected by emotion via the attentional/arousal effect according to the attentional gate model. The reasoning system would be disrupted by emotion, especially for traumatic events. Time discrepancies described in the dual-systems model are also explained.

Closing the symbolic reference gap to support flexible reasoning about the passage of time.

This commentary relates Hoerl & McCormack's dual systems perspective to models of cognitive development emphasizing representational redescription and the role of culturally constructed tools, including language, in providing flexible formats for thinking. We describe developmental processes that enable children to construct a mental time line, situate themselves in time, and overcome the primacy of the here and now.

Thinking in and about time: A dual systems perspective on temporal cognition.

We outline a dual systems approach to temporal cognition, which distinguishes between two cognitive systems for dealing with how things unfold over time - a temporal updating system and a temporal reasoning system - of which the former is both phylogenetically and ontogenetically more primitive than the latter, and which are at work alongside each other in adult human cognition. We describe the main features of each of the two systems, the types of behavior the more primitive temporal updating system can support, and the respects in which it is more limited than the temporal reasoning system. We then use the distinction between the two systems to interpret findings in comparative and developmental psychology, arguing that animals operate only with a temporal updating system and that children start out doing so too, before gradually becoming capable of thinking and reasoning about time. After this, we turn to adult human cognition and suggest that our account can also shed light on a specific feature of humans' everyday thinking about time that has been the subject of debate in the philosophy of time, which consists in a tendency to think about the nature of time itself in a way that appears ultimately self-contradictory. We conclude by considering the topic of intertemporal choice, and argue that drawing the distinction between temporal updating and temporal reasoning is also useful in the context of characterizing two distinct mechanisms for delaying gratification.

Procrastination out of Habit? The Role of Impulsive Versus Reflective Media Selection in Procrastinatory Media Use

ABSTRACTThe pervasive access to media options seriously challenges users’ self-regulatory abilities. One example of deficient self-regulation in the context of media use is procrastination—impulsively ‘giving in’ to available media options despite goal conflicts with more important tasks. This study investigaes procrastinatory media use across 3 types of media (TV, computer, smartphone) from a dual-systems perspective, taking both person-level and situation-level predictors into account. Results from a 14-day long diary study (N = 347) suggest that procrastinatory media use is driven by automatic media selection, which is facilitated by strong media habits (person level) and low motivation for behavioral control (situation level). The results underline the value of a dual-systems perspective on media choices in our media-saturated environment.

The Influence of Different Kinds of Incentives on Decision-Making and Cognitive Control in Adolescent Development: A Review of Behavioral and Neuroscientific Studies.

A number of recent hypothetical models on adolescent development take a dual-systems perspective and propose an imbalance in the maturation of neural systems underlying reward-driven and control-related behavior. In particular, such models suggest that the relative dominance of the early emerging subcortical reward system over the later emerging prefrontal-guided control system leads to higher risk-taking and sensation-seeking behavior in mid-adolescents. Here, we will review recent empirical evidence from behavioral and neuroscientific studies examining interactions between these systems and showing that empirical evidence in support for the view of a higher sensitivity to rewards in mid-adolescents is rather mixed. One possible explanation for this may be the use of different kinds and amounts of incentives across studies. We will therefore include developmental studies comparing the differential influence of primary and secondary incentives, as well as those investigating within the class of secondary incentives the effects of monetary, cognitive, or social incentives. We hypothesized that the value of receiving sweets or sours, winning or losing small or large amounts of money, and being accepted or rejected from a peer group may also changes across development, and thereby might modulate age differences in decision-making and cognitive control. Our review revealed that although developmental studies directly comparing different kinds of incentives are rather scarce, results of various studies rather consistently showed only minor age differences in the impact of incentives on the behavioral level. In tendency, adolescents were more sensitive to higher amounts of incentives and larger uncertainty of receiving them, as well as to social incentives such as the presence of peers observing them. Electrophysiological studies showed that processing efficiency was enhanced during anticipation of incentives and receiving them, irrespective of incentive type. Again, we found no strong evidence for interactions with age across studies. Finally, functional brain imaging studies revealed evidence for overlapping brain regions activated during processing of primary and secondary incentives, as well as social and non-social incentives. Adolescents recruited similar reward-related and control-related brain regions as adults did, but to a different degree. Implications for future research will be discussed.

Understanding social networking site (SNS) identity from a dual systems perspective: an investigation of the dark side of SNS use

Using a pathological perspective (e.g., addiction), some research suggests that technology engagement leads to poor self-regulation of behaviours. Rather than pathologise predictors of negative outcomes of IT use, we offer an alternative, identity-based explanation to investigate the role of identity in relation to an individual’s perceptions of his/her media use and the potential negative consequences of such use. We build on recent advances in conceptualising IT identity, defined as the extent to which one perceives an IT as central to who he/she is, to explore one’s self-identification with social networking sites (SNS) within a broader nomological net of deficient self-regulation, IS habit, use, and normative pressures. Results of a survey of 214 college students indicate that if an individual has strong self-identification with a particular SNS, it will increase perceptions of poor self-control over his/her time. Our study contributes to the literature by highlighting the utility of an identity-based (vs. pathology-based) explanation for such outcomes, which has distinct implications for interventions aimed at improving these outcomes. We suggest future research to advance understanding of IT identity’s antecedents and consequences, and discuss practical implications for managing SNS use in workplace and academic settings.

Tug of war between social self-regulation and habit: Explaining the experience of momentary social media addiction symptoms

Addiction-like symptoms in relation to social networking site (SNS) use are prevalent and can adversely affect users. This paper seeks to theorize on and examine the etiology of such symptoms. Relying on the dual system theory (DST) with a specific focus on social aspects, this manuscript develops a research model positing that the momentary experience of SNS addiction symptoms is driven by tug-of-war between social self-regulation (a reflective process) and habit (a reflexive process), the effect of which is mediated via SNS use. It then tests the hypotheses through analyzing survey data from 161 SNS users, using structural equation modeling techniques. Results support the dual system perspective we take. They show that (1) habit (a reflexive system manifestation) drives SNS use and the experience of addiction symptoms, (2) social self-regulation (a reflective system manifestation) inhibits use and the experience of addiction symptoms and, (3) dual system effects on momentary SNS addiction symptoms are mediated through SNS use. This study introduces and validates a model that explains the experience of momentary SNS addiction symptoms. In particular, the proposed model extends prior dual system models by examining an overlooked, yet important, reflective process (social self-regulation) in the context of SNS use; and by focusing on an important, prevalent, yet relatively disregarded outcome (momentary symptoms rather than full-fledged addiction). The findings point to interesting theoretical and practical implications.

The Interaction Between Punishment Sensitivity and Effortful Control for Emerging Adults' Substance Use Behaviors

ABSTRACTBackground: Within the dual systems perspective, high reward sensitivity and low punishment sensitivity in conjunction with deficits in cognitive control may contribute to high levels of risk taking, such as substance use. Objective: The current study examined whether the individual components of effortful control (inhibitory control, attentional control, and activation control) serve as regulators and moderate the association between reward or punishment sensitivity and substance use behaviors. Method: A total of 1,808 emerging adults from a university setting (Mean age = 19.48; 72% female) completed self-report measures of reward and punishment sensitivity, effortful control, and substance use. Results: Findings indicated significant two-way interactions for punishment sensitivity and inhibitory control for alcohol and marijuana use. The form of these interactions revealed a significant negative association between punishment sensitivity and alcohol and marijuana use at low levels of inhibitory control. No significant interactions emerged for reward sensitivity or other components of effortful control. Conclusions: The current findings provide preliminary evidence suggesting the dual systems theorized to influence risk taking behavior interact to make joint contributions to health risk behaviors such as substance use in emerging adults.