Author:: [[assets.pubpub.org]] DateFinished:: URL:: https://assets.pubpub.org/5s73m2z0/01625159704510.pdf Rating:: Tags:: #🟥 #on being social # Can Text Messaging Influence Perceptions of Geographical Slant? A Replication and Extension of Schnall, Harber, Stefanucci, Proffitt  ### Summary of study: - Being or feeling you are with a friend can make you estimate the degree of a slope as less steep. The idea is people feel they can overcome challenges more if they are with people. ### Problems with the study: - The in-person benefits might be undermined because of the odd method for assembling the in person sample. - Culture might make a difference because some cultures like texting and some find social support more important. The study participants were almost all from a University setting and around 20 years old. - Young people might find texting as a better means of finding support than older people. - How would the slope perception change based on the person your with? For example, if you were with your 83 year old grandma? Or with your fit friend? ## Highlights Schnall et al. (2008) revealed that both the presence and the recall of a supportive relationship can diminish one’s perception of a hill’s slant when burdened with a heavy backpack. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hn37hatxczpcap8yva3gwv8h)) can text messaging provide social support resources to buffer against physical burdens, such as reducing the perception of a hill’s slant? ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hn37j2w7kmd025safg3sqpm2)) While the present research aims to examine the reliability of evidence in Schnall et al. (2008) by conducting a replication of their Study 1, a more important goal is to investigate a conceptual extension of the impacts of social support. In light of the Hyper- personal Model (Walther, 1996; Walther et al., 2015), a theory in the field ofcommunication, that describes how technologies like text messaging can influence social perceptions, we extend their original work by also examining whether or not social support, manipulated by text messaging to a friend, can affect slant perception, and to explore the potential intensified effect of text messaging relative to physical copresence. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hn37jqw4z7p89p03ezme7drb)) Schnall et al. (2008) revealed that social support as a psychoso- cial resource can be activated through simply imagining a support- ive relationship, even in the partner’s physical absence (Study 2). ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hn37vfskszf5x1dvtf6q06az)) - Note: This reminds me of the concept of psychological energy. Another possibility is that text messaging to a friend might activate a higher level of social support than the physical presence of a friend. That is because text messaging can bridge the physical distance to allow senders to connect with anyone they feel close to, and thus ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hn380cdxarx8g8e533exyyrr)) more supportive relationships. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hn380f6t2a7whwyvzmjf8kdr)) Schnall et al. (2008) showed a mediating effect of relationship quality in the effect of social support on slant perception. If this is the case, then social support through text messaging may further distort perceived geographical slant due to the availability of more positive relationships. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hn3806rcbhh87heawxj2633h)) Participants were recruited either individually if they walked alone or in pairs if they walked with an accompanying partner. T ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hn384jgn8y9a165pf931vkgt)) - Note: There is recruitment bias. People already in pairs were assigned to the in-person group where as people not in pairs were not. The Hyperpersonal Model of CMC (Walther, 1996) provides an alternative account for bolstered social support through text mes- saging. It argues that the reduced nonverbal cues available in CMC may reallocate people’s cognitive resources to the most salient characteristics of the partner that are relevant to the immediate scenario and allow people to form idealized impressions of the person based on these easily accessible features (Walther et al., 2015). This idealization process allows people to form stereotyped perceptions and exaggerated impressions of others because people tend to overattribute the salient social categories about partners based on limited information. Thus, when participants are in need of psychosocial resources, text messaging may draw attention to a partner’s helpful qualities and facilitate a more helpful impression about the person than inducing it through physical copresence. In sum, the Hyperpersonal Model predicts an intensification effect of social support through text messaging relative to physically colo- cated support on a perceived geographical slant. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hn38j99qjf42ndwvb7ezwat8)) - Note: Interesting, might it also be easier to ask for help through texting than through physical means. Reminds me of Jane McGognigal's point, it's easier to ask someone to play a game than to ask them to help you with something. Thus, the total sample size should be at least two times the original (N = 104). One hundred and eighteen students (53.38% women; age: M = 19.96, SD = 2.58) from an East Coast University in the U.S. took part in the study. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hn385mxd52a51c2z31aspqsq)) - Note: This is done only on college students in one University. We can't generalize to different ages. And the effects of social support across cultures might be different. Consistent with the main findings of the original article, social support, as indicated by walking with a friend and texting to a friend, reduced the perceived slant of a hill. In connec- tion with prior work, our findings suggest that symbolic social connection, such as imagining a supportive relationship, viewing photos, browsing Facebook profiles, and now text messaging, is an effective activation of social support to reduce physical burden or stress. Along with the perceptual idealization that is associated with CMC, this study provides some evidence for why texting may be such a popular phenomenon. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hn37kxe4t8qas6d0gq9a6nzm)) As discussed earlier, one limitation of the present replication research is the lack of data about relationship quality, such as feelings about closeness, warmth, and happiness toward partners. Thus, we could not rule out that relationship quality mediates the effects of virtually activated social support or the enhancing effect of texting. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hn37mn2gb8nvkte9vqawp179)) The issue of nonrandomization was particularly concerning when examining the enhancing effect of text messaging. As we note, this is one of the advantages of being able to text anyone in one’s social network compared to accessing those physically present. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hn37nkh7a0v8s75qs1savawv)) - Note: This is a huge problem because when texting we can choose who we want to talk to. This might allow us to choose someone we are closer to or we use as inspiration. In person, we don't have that choice as easily.