(2016) Science and education, 7, 92-98. Odessa.

Marharyta Derhach,
Doctor of Pedagogy,
associate professor, Department of Psychology,
Zaporizhzhia National Technical University,
64, Zhukovskogo Str., Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine

CYBER-ADDICTION OF STUDENTS MAJORING IN COMPUTER SCIENCE

Today computer is considered not only as a tool of work, but leisure and entertainment, it has firmly entrenched in people's lives. However, the widespread introduction of computer technologies in all aspects of society has not only positive but also negative influence on a personality, as it creates additional risks to its mental and psychological health, causing complex forms of addiction. The article is aimed at theoretical substantiation and experimental investigation of cyber-addiction syndrome among students majoring in computer science. Research methods include: the review and interpretation of scientific literature in the field of cyber-addiction; questionnaires, psychological diagnosis of respondents, methods of mathematical processing of the data using the Mann-Whitney test. Basing on the fact that the Internet addiction is a particular manifestation of cyber-addiction, the following ideas are treated as basic to identify the peculiarities of the formation of possible cyber-addiction among students of computer specialties: age, features of occupation in the system “man-machine”, that automatically actualize the risks of cyber-addiction – long work on the computer, the lack of direct contact, free access to the virtual space with uncontrolled content, professional need of immersion into cyber-space with an objective opportunity to go through all the stages of cyber-addiction formation. As a result of the experimental research it has been found that motivation for professional choice is the factor of prestige and economic security for the majority of students. Most of the students spend a lot of time with computers, herewith they do not experience any psychosomatic problems and may regulate the desire to deal with a PC. The use of test and diagnostic techniques has shown that the majority of the students are common PC users; the data concerning their age have been statistically significant: the younger the students are, the more important is the interaction with the cyber-space for them. The further studies involve examining the issue of social perception of this category of students.

computer, cyber-addiction, Internet addiction, students, students majoring in computer science.

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