Living in the Now without Photos or Cell Phone

Living in the Now without Photos or Cell Phone

“How and when taking pictures undermines the enjoyment of experiences” is an article that investigates whether picture taking is likely to influence the enjoyment of consumers’ highly enjoyable hedonic experiences. The study proposes that by repetitively striving to document one’s experience, one may inadvertently fail to enjoy such experiences to the fullest. The article’s results have implications for the manner in which firms may stage experiential offerings for consumers in order to increase their experiences. This paper will focus on the methodology that was used in the article. Experimental research has been used in this article. According to King (2012), experimental research is the only type of research that determines whether there is a causal link between variables. The article used is only an example of the elements used in an experiment.

The first step in scientific research is to observe some phenomenon. Nardini, Lutz and LeBoeuf (2019) observe that the concept of taking pictures is common when individuals are experiencing highly enjoyable moments, such as while on vacation. As a result, they formulated a hypothesis, which is the second step in scientific research. In the article, Nardini, Lutz and LeBoeuf (2019) make use of 3 hypotheses. A hypothesis refers to a prediction that can be tested and is usually derived logically from a theory (King, 2012). The first hypothesis predicted that taking pictures during an experience that is considered enjoyable lessens one’s engagement. The second hypothesis predicted that the taking of pictures during an experience that is considered highly enjoyable has a detrimental impact on enjoyment.  The third hypothesis predicted that the adverse impact of taking pictures on the enjoyment of experiences that are considered highly enjoyable is mediated by lessened engagement.

Experiments normally have two kinds of variables, namely, dependent and independent variables. An independent variable is a variable that the experimenter normally manipulates to observe the effects, and it is normally a probable cause (King, 2012). An experiment is likely to have more than one independent variable, which is manipulated to find out their impact on some outcome. In the article, the independent variable is the taking of pictures during positive experiences that are considered highly enjoyable.

On the other hand, the dependent variable refers to the outcome or the factor that can be altered in an experiment in reaction to the alterations made in the independent variable. As researchers manipulate the independent variable, they then measure the dependent variable to observe for any resulting impact (King, 2012). In the article, the enjoyment of positive experiences is the dependent variable. This means that the enjoyment of positive experiences is determined by whether or not picture-taking is involved.

Once a hypothesis has been formulated, the third step is to test it through empirical research, which is done through the collection and analysis of data. A researcher needs to have a concrete way of measuring the variables of interest. An operational definition, therefore, offers an objective description of the manner in which a variable will be measured and observed in a certain study (King, 2012). In the article, Nardini, Lutz and LeBoeuf (2019) define highly enjoyable and engaging experiences or moments as high-quality and vivid images obtained from watching a clip of a nature show that features venomous jellyfish and snakes and a clip of a nature show that features dangerous living conditions next to a river. These were the operational definitions of the dependent variables. On the other hand, the operational definition of the independent variable was an on-screen camera button that was used to take pictures of any videos and the camera button used made a shutter sound whenever it was clicked.

In an experimental research, a researcher might choose to assign participants to different groups through chance (probability), and this is referred to as a random assignment. Such a technique lessens the probability that the results of the experimenter will result from any preexisting differences between the groups (King, 2012). Random assignment was used in the study to assign the participants either to the control or the experimental group. This random assignment would help eliminate any form of bias from the researchers.

Experiments can also comprise one or more control and experimental groups. The independent variable is normally manipulated to generate these groups. According to King (2012), an experimental group comprises the participants in the experiment who are recipients of the treatment that interests the researcher. These are usually the participants who are exposed to the change that is represented by the independent variable. On the other hand, the control group is usually more or less like the experimental group, except for the fact that this group is not subjected to any changes. The control group is therefore necessary because it offers a comparison against which a researcher will be able to test the impact of the independent variable. In the article, the experimental group involved participants who were instructed to make use of an on-screen camera button which was to be used to take pictures of interesting images that they wanted to capture while watching the videos, whereas, in the control group, the participants were simply asked to watch the video.

While conducting an experimental research, it is important to have ethical principles which can help balance between the rights of scientists to inquiries and the right of participants in the research. Ethical considerations involve issues like informed consent, privacy, and confidentiality of the participants as well as deception and debriefing (King, 2012). In the article, it is unclear whether such ethical considerations were put into place since the authors failed to mention any issues of confidentiality, informed consent, debriefing, or anonymity.

The article was published in the Psychology and Marketing journal for peer review, and its publication means that it has survived the scrutiny of various experts in the field and is hence considered credible.

Generally, experimental research aims at determining whether there is a causal link between two variables. In this article, the researchers purposed to determine whether the taking of pictures could be a cause of enjoyment or lack of enjoyment among participants during experiences that were considered highly engaging and enjoyable. Experimental research, unlike correlational research, is able to identify a cause, and hence, it is possible to find a solution from the link obtained between the cause and effect. However, the external validity of experimental research could be questioned due to the manipulations that exist in experimental research. For instance, when there is an experimenter bias, where the expectations of the researcher influence the research’s outcome, then the validity of the research can be questioned. For instance, in the article, the researchers expected that picture-taking would lessen the enjoyment of memorable moments. However, given their scientific method, the research is considered valid.

References

King, L. A. (2013). Experience psychology (2^nd ed). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Nardini, G., Lutz, R. J., & LeBoeuf, R. A. (2019). How and when taking pictures undermines the enjoyment of experiences. Psychology & Marketing, 36(5), 520-529.

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Living in the Now without Photos or Cell Phone

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