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Cyberpsychology: enigmas of the Psychology of the future

In just a few decades, society has undergone a major change due to the appearance and establishment of new information and communication technologies (ICTs) in its operation. This new virtual universe in which all kinds of people live (regardless of sex, culture or age) is based on a new social paradigm that has brought with it multiple biopsychosocial changes, that is to say, we are facing a total social phenomenon. Technology is another step in the adaptation of human beings to a "new world" the creation of which we ourselves are responsible for.

The daily and constant coexistence with technology has caused a great impact on the human brain and, as a consequence, on human psychology at a social and individual level. The constant connection, the immediacy, the over-stimulation of information and content (and even the pattern of addictive behaviors as a norm) changes a person's interaction, communication, thinking and emotion in an integral way. Without going any further (or if), the influence of ICTs reaches the very essence of the organism, being capable of altering human biochemistry, physiology and cognition.

This context derived from the "technological revolution" constitutes a new step in the evolution of man. We must then ask ourselves: What impact have ICTs had on human psychology? But considering that ICTs are a point of no return in our society... will machines continue to evolve and human intelligence will evolve? Will psychologists analyse and treat... cyborgs?

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The chicken or the egg?: the eternal psychological dilemma of video games

Among the new Technologies of Information, Communication and Leisure (also known as TICO), the "O", without a doubt, is played by video games. More than 3.1 billion people regularly play video games, which represents 40% of the world's population. Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Psychiatric Association (APA) have officially classified video game addiction as a psychological disorder. The massive and compulsive consumption of video games is linked to long periods of exposure to this virtual experience, especially to online, competitive and violent games. Now is when the classic dilemma about the influence of video games needs answering: do video games make people more aggressive? Can they even turn them into criminals? Neuroscience is the latest scientific perspective that has joined the debate table to try to find in our brain the answer that finally solves this question that interests both professionals and parents and gamers.

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Brief CV

Amparo Luján began to be part of the University of Valencia as a student in 2014 and, finally, to be part of the professional team in 2020 as research staff. She graduated in Psychology in 2017 (UV), specialised in Neurosciences in 2019 (UV) and in Forensic Psychology in 2021 (EICYC and Isabel I University) and is currently a PhD student in Psychology of video game addiction in the Department of Basic Psychology of the University of Valencia.

She has been a research participant in the Social Neuroscience and Behavioral Addictions research team since 2017. She currently works in the Technological Addictions research team in the Basic Psychology department.

Since she began her scientific activity, she has carried out multiple scientific dissemination projects with entities such as the University of Valencia, the International School of Criminology and Criminalistics, the Valencia City Council or the TEDx organisation of the Carlos III University of Madrid. She has published scientific articles in the field of aggression and numerous articles on specialised psychology websites such as AESPSIS and Psicocode. In addition, she has participated in different conferences such as the XV Conference on Violence against Women or the VIII National Conference of Criminology and Criminalistics. She also holds lectures on Neuroscience and implements workshops on the prevention of addictive behaviors in educational centres.

 

 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amparo-luj%C3%A1n-barrera-8a7550140/

 

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Social networks

  • @psicologia_uv
  • @CdCienciaUV
  • @MednightGTS

 

Stimulating scientific vocations is a project of the Scientific Culture and Innovation Unit of the University of Valencia, which has co-funding from the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology and the Ministry of Science and Innovation.