Has your smartphone replaced your brain? Construction and validation of the Extended Mind Questionnaire (XMQ)

PLoS One. 2018 Aug 31;13(8):e0202188. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0202188. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

As digital devices, such as smartphones, are becoming ever more absorbed in the daily lives of adolescents, a major assumption is that they start taking over basic functions of the human mind. A main focus of current debate and research is therefore on investigating adolescents' use of digital technologies. However, the lack of an instrument measuring the degree to which adolescents offload cognitive and social functions to technology hinders debate and research. This paper tests the reliability and validity of the Extended Mind Questionnaire (XMQ) which measures the degree to which digital technology is used to offload cognitive and social functions. In a first study on young adults (n = 63), we constructed a 12-tem scale, which proved to be highly reliable. A large-scale study on teenagers (n = 947) demonstrated the high structural validity, reliability, and construct and criterion validity of the XMQ. In sum, these studies provide evidence that the XMQ is psychometrically sound and valid, and can be useful in future research on the consequences of digital technology in the daily lives of adolescents.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Validation Study

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Cognition*
  • Computers
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Smartphone*
  • Social Behavior*
  • Surveys and Questionnaires*
  • Young Adult

Grants and funding

The Behavioural Science Institute funded this research with a seedcorn grant to GS and SN. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.