For immediate release: Central professor publishes study on the influences of technological changes on young people

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Central professor publishes study on the influences of technological changes on young people

CONTACT: 860-929-1177

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Nov. 3, 2023

New Britain, Conn. – In a recent study, Dr. John Protzko, assistant professor of Psychological Science at Central, and a colleague examined how, throughout history, technological and societal changes often receive suspicion.

Protzko’s colleague, Jonathan W. Schooler, is a member of the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences at University of California, Santa Barbara.

The study, titled "What I didn’t grow up with is dangerous: Personal experience with a new technology or societal change reduces the belief that it corrupts youth,” appears in a recent edition of Frontiers in Psychology.

Historically, “technological and societal changes … appear damaging, corrupting, and potential precursors to societal downfall, with today’s youth often portrayed as the primary victims,” the authors note. “This study aims to explore an underlying reason for these perceptions and to investigate why society frequently perceives technological and societal transitions as detrimental to the younger generation.”

Drawing from surveys of more than 1,700 people, Protzko and Schooler determined that people view recent technologies as particularly corrupting of today’s youth. A notable within-person correlation exists between an individual’s exposure to specific technologies during their youth and their belief that these technologies corrupt today’s youth. Specifically, people are more inclined to view technological/societal shifts as corruptive if they don’t experience them during their formative years. When reminded of their own exposure to a particular innovation during their upbringing, however, this relationship reduces.

If you are interested in interviewing Dr. Protzko, contact our Communications and Media team at 860-929-1177.

 

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