psychology comparison

She states that with these new findings the suggestion is made that the Internet is no healthier than older forms of mass media. She claims that these findings raise troubling questions about the quality of social interaction on the Internet. The report describes how participants in this study primarily used the social features of the Internet (e-mail and chat rooms). However, the article states, participants; reported a decline in interaction with family members and a reduction in their circles of friends that directly corresponds to the amount of time they spent online. .
             The article continues on to briefly describe the methods of the research. The sample included 169 participants from the Pittsburgh area. Half were followed through two years of Internet use, the other half was monitored through one year. Refering to the data compiled, Harmon quotes the main researcher Robert Kraut. He calls the data statistically significant and hypothesizes that the shallow relationships built on-line lead to a decline in feelings of connection to other people. The article ends with an interview with two members of a family from the sample who, paradoxically, express surprise at the studys findings.
             The scientific journal article on which Harmon based her report was published September 1998 in American Psychologist. The article is titled Internet Paradox: A Social Technology That Reduces Social Involvement and Psychological Well-Being? The article begins with an abstract. They examined how the Internet effects social involvement and psychological well-being. What the study found is that despite the Internet's focus on communication; greater use of the Internet was associated with declines in participants communication with family members in the household, declines in the size of their social circle, and increases in their depression and loneliness. .
             After this brief description of the study, the article begins by describing the trends in social disengagement due to technology that many researchers have discovered over the past 35 years.