Good News! Communication Findings May be Underestimated: Comparing Effect Sizes with Self-Reported and Logged Smartphone Use Data. Issue 5 (24th August 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Jones-Jang, S Mo; Heo, Yu-Jin; McKeever, Robert; Kim, Jung-Hyun; Moscowitz, Leigh; Moscowitz, David
• Is Part Of: Journal of computer-mediated communication. Volume 25:Issue 5(2020)
• Page Start: 346
• Page End: 363
• Publication Date: 2020-08-24
• Subjects: Self-Reports -- Logged Data -- Smartphone Use -- Social Capital -- Well-being -- Problematic Use of Smartphones -- Screen Time; Telematics -- Periodicals; Computer networks -- Social aspects -- Periodicals; Communication -- Periodicals; 302.20285
• DOI: 10.1093/jcmc/zmaa009
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1083-6101

Abstract

Abstract: Despite long-standing concerns over self-reported measures of media use, media research has relied heavily on self-reported data. This study not only examined discrepancies between survey and logged smartphone data but assessed whether correlational outcomes using self-reported measures produce greater or smaller effect sizes compared to outcomes using logged measures. College students (n = 294) and MTurk workers (n = 291) provided self-reported and logged data of smartphone use over seven days. The correlations we examined involved four psychosocial contexts, including bridging, bonding, well-being, and problematic use of smartphones. The results showed that the effect sizes of correlations using self-reported data tend to be smaller compared to those using logged data. We believe that this is a hopeful message to the field. This could mean that extant survey results have not erroneously inflated communication findings and that communication researchers still have a lot to reveal with further refined measures.