| Utilizing a causal-comparative design, this study examined the relationship between the level of college students' CMC and Internet use, and their psychosocial identity development by: (a) examining levels of their CMC and Internet use, (b) assessing selected measures of psychosocial identity development, and (c) investigating relationships between levels of CMC and Internet use, and students' psychosocial identity development. Brenner's (1996, 1997) Internet-Related Addictive Behavior Inventory was used to determine the level of students' CMC and Internet use and the Student Developmental Task and Lifestyle Inventory (Winston & Miller, 1987) was used to assess psychosocial identity development. The sample was drawn from 417 students enrolled in three sections of an undergraduate-level general psychology class.; A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was conducted to determine if there were any statistically significant differences across levels of the independent variables, sex and level of CMC and Internet use, or interaction between them, and the dependent variables, selected scores on the SDTU. The omnibus MANOVA indicated a significant main effect for level of use. Follow-up simple effects tests revealed that differences in Academic Autonomy (AA) and Salubrious Lifestyle (SL) were significant between medium and low-end users. Low-end users scored higher on AA and SL than medium users.; The results of this exploratory study indicate that an inverse relationship may exist between students' use of CMC and the Internet, and selected measures of their psychosocial identity development. Student affairs professionals should continually assess the impact, availability, and widespread student use of this new technology on the development of community, student development, and the overall achievement of institutional goals and objectives. |
