Robin Doyle is enrolled in the Psychology Department at Huron University College.
Mentored by Dr. Irene Cheung, Robin will be examining the processes of social inclusion and exclusion in both online and in-person social interactions.
Abstract
“This study aims to further the research conducted by Zhong and Leonardelli (2008) on the topic of social exclusion and physiological perceptions…. [Their] findings show that social exclusion can literally cause individuals to feel cold.
Our research extends Zhong and Leonardelli’s research by examining whether social exclusion experienced online can also lead to different physiological experiences. There appears to be very little research conducted in the area of feelings of inclusion or exclusion, online. To our knowledge, this will be one of the first studies to examine whether social exclusion and inclusion occurring online can affect physiological experiences. Specifically, we will be examining whether in-person and online experiences of social exclusion and inclusion affect physiological perceptions, as well as self-perceptions. Therefore, we will be using a 2 (type of social interaction: exclusion vs. inclusion) X 2 (type of interaction: in-person vs. online) between-subjects factorial design.
My study aims to expand on this research by asking participants to recall and describe a past experience when they were either included or excluded in a social situation. Then, a manipulation check question will be administered which asks participants to indicate how strongly the social interaction made them feel either included or excluded (to ensure that participants in the social inclusion and exclusion were thinking about an instance of being included and excluded, respectively). Participants will also answer a number of questions related to how the experience made them feel emotionally, how warm or cold they feel, and overall how positively or negatively they perceived their mood after thinking about the social interaction.
Based on the research by Zhong and Leonardelli (2008), it is predicted that individuals who think about a social exclusion will feel colder than those who think about a social inclusion experience. It is predicted that similar results will be found between those who experienced the social interaction in-person and online. However, it is unclear whether online experiences will elicit larger (or smaller) effects.”