Relationship of Internet-Dependent Behavior, Intellectual Development and Cultural Congruence in Primary School Children

Abstract

The main purpose of our study was to examine the connection between the Internet addiction in junior school children and their intellectual development and cultural congruence. The study involved 92 schoolchildren from Moscow aged from 9 to 10 years. Our hypothesis was that intellectual abilities of schoolchildren would be related to their cultural congruence, as well as to their Internet dependent behavior. The following methods were used to test the hypothesis: Raven Progressive Matrices, the children's version of Personality Factor Questionnaire by R. Cattell, Chen Internet Addiction Scale, Methodology of determining the cultural congruence of a junior school child by Bayanova and co-authors. The results demonstrated that schoolchildren with good intellectual abilities are highly likely to demonstrate high rates of cultural congruence. At the same time, the study found no statistically significant differences in intellectual development between children with propensity to Internet addiction and children with any Internet addiction. At the same time, it identified significant features in behavior of children prone to online addiction. The behavior of such children is often manifested in demonstrating violations of the regulatory situation at school, as well as in displaying non-congruent behavior; in particular, such children are more likely to tell lies, do not listen to teachers, are late for classes, skip classes, and fight. Besides, such students are characterized by more pronounced impulsiveness and motor retardation, aggressive assertion of their position, self-confidence, and leadership qualities. The school environment is characterized by normative rules and procedures, so children are not always able to realize their motives and desires openly. Thus, we can conclude that more impulsive and motorized children, who are also characterized by displaying aggressive behaviors, will be more likely to be characterized by a tendency to Internet dependent behaviors, because it allows them to express their desires and intentions, which often cannot be realized in a strictly regulated school environment. In this way, our research has demonstrated that high intellectual abilities of junior school children are significantly related to their cultural congruence. In addition, their propensity for Internet addiction can be a factor contributing to non-congruent behavior among children aged 9–10 years.