The Role of Executive Functioning and Technological Anxiety (FOMO) in College Course Performance as Mediated by Technology Usage and Multitasking Habits

Rosen, Larry D.; Carrier, L. Mark; Pedroza, Jonathan A.; Elias, Stephanie; O'Brien, Kaitlin M.; Lozano, Karina; Kim, Joshua; Cheever, Nancy A.; Bentley, Jonathan; Sanchez, Abraham · 2018 · Psicologia Educativa

DOI: 10.5093/psed2018a3

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Summary

This study investigates the mechanisms linking technology use to academic performance in college students, specifically examining how cognitive factors (executive functioning problems) and affective factors (technological anxiety or FOMO) influence course grades. Motivated by prior research establishing that increased electronic media use correlates with lower GPAs, the authors propose a mediated model where these independent variables impact performance through specific technology usage habits, multitasking preferences, and classroom digital metacognition. The research involved 216 participants from an upper-division social science course who provided data over an average of 56 days. Methodology combined self-reported measures with objective data from the “Instant Quantified Self” smartphone application, which tracked daily unlock minutes. Participants completed assessments for executive functioning problems, technological anxiety/dependence, multitasking preference, and a newly developed classroom digital metacognition scale. Academic performance was measured by total points earned in the course. The study controlled for demographic variables, attendance, and prior GPA. Results indicated that students unlocked their smartphones an average of 60+ times daily, totaling approximately 220 minutes of use. Path analysis revealed that executive functioning problems did not directly predict academic performance but did so indirectly through mediators: reduced studying attention and lower availability of strategies for managing mobile phone use during lectures. Conversely, technological anxiety (FOMO) predicted lower academic performance both directly and indirectly, mediated by negative attitudes toward mobile phone use during lectures. While higher daily smartphone usage and reduced studying attention correlated with worse performance, multitasking preference alone did not significantly correlate with grades. The findings suggest that the impact of technology on academic success is not merely a function of usage volume but is driven by underlying cognitive and emotional states. Executive functioning deficits impair the ability to regulate attention and employ strategies to limit distraction, while FOMO drives anxiety that negatively affects performance regardless of specific usage behaviors. The authors conclude that interventions should focus on increasing students’ metacognition regarding technology use in the classroom and implementing “tech breaks” to mitigate technological anxiety, rather than simply restricting device access.

Key finding

Executive functioning problems predicted lower course performance via reduced studying attention and lower metacognition about phone-use strategies (p<.05). FOMO directly predicted performance and indirectly through negative attitudes toward phone use during lectures. Self-reported smartphone use and logged phone uptime did not predict academic performance. Smartphone unlocks were positively correlated with self-reported daily checks (r=0.25, p<.01).

Methodology

lab_experiment

Provenance

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• mobile phones