1. ‘Rachel is typing…’: The Influence of Instant Messaging on Anxiety, Likeability, and Relational Evaluation Antoine Lebeaut, Ashley Strunk, Matt Landy, & Dr. Megan Knowles Franklin & Marshall College Background Methods Results Discussion References Sample Conversation State Anxiety The main effect of message speed (F(1,70) = 1.28, ns) and length (F(1,70) =.422, ns) on state anxiety was not significant. There was no significant interaction between message speed and length on reported level of state anxiety, F(1,70) =.114, ns. Participants & Design 74 undergraduate students from Franklin & Marshall College (46 female, 28 male), Mean age = 19.22 years; 31 currently involved in a romantic relationship, 43 single. 2 (Messaging speed: delayed vs. immediate) x 2 (Message length: short vs. long) between-subjects design. Procedure The Facebook Instant Messenger conversation was highly structured, using a modified Closeness Induction Task (Sedikides, Campbell, Reeder, & Elliot, 1999). The participant would have a list of questions to ask the confederate via Facebook Messenger. Confederate had script to answer all questions asked and had a list of questions to ask the participant. IV: Confederate answers: short (5-7 words) or long (20-30 words) sent on a 45 sec. delay (delayed) or 15 sec. delay (immediate) Likeability A main effect of message length was found on participant’s likeability of the confederate, F(1,70) = 5.135, p =.027, eta2 =.07. Participants who received long instant message responses had significantly higher scores of likeability for the confederate than participants who received short instant message responses. Message speed did not significantly impact likeability (F(1,70)=.057, ns). Relational Evaluation A main effect of message length was found on participant’s evaluation of their relationship with the confederate, F(1,70) = 5.194, p =.026, eta2 =.07. Participants who received long instant message responses had significantly higher scores of relational evaluation than participants who received short instant message Message speed did not significantly impact relational evaluation (F(1,70)=.120, ns). Short Response BLUE = Confederate WHITE = Participant Long Response BLUE = Confederate WHITE = participant Rapid technological advancement over the past two decades has fundamentally changed the way in which people communicate (Weisskirch & Delevi, 2012). Two-thirds of the American population owns a smartphone (United States Census Bureau, 2013). As online communication continues to grow in usage, the conversations become deeper, allowing for text or instant messages to carry much more emotionally sensitive information and weight (Gonzales, 2014). Couples use online communication for relational maintenance (Weisskirch & Delevi, 2012), as well as relationship dissolution (Ramirez & Broneck, 2012). Online communication delays social interactions, because the message has to be written, sent, received, and then opened by the other party (Ramsey et al., 2013). In a recent NY Times article, the typing awareness indicator creates anxiety as a person awaits a response, referred to as “texting anxiety”, showing that the person is typing; however, not what they are typing, and thus anxious over the possibility of a negative response (Bennett, 2014). Despite, the noted prevalence of “texting anxiety” by Bennett (2014), there is no empirical evidence to support its existence. We explored whether both the rate and length of an instant message response can affect an individual’s level of state anxiety and their subsequent perceptions of their relationship with the person they are communicating with online. We hypothesized that individuals who have received short and delayed messages would have higher levels of state anxiety and would be more negative in how they perceived (likeability) and evaluated their relationship (relational evaluation) with the confederate. Our results illustrate that message length significantly impacts likeability and relational evaluation. Suggesting that people may derive meaning of the quality of their relationships from online communication, viewing message length as a test of friendship. Results do not support that the “typing awareness indicator” creates anxiety; anxiety was not elicited by message speed and/or length. Results showed that those currently involved in romantic relationships experienced higher levels of anxiety when placed in the immediate response group. Future studies should investigate the impact of online communication on romantic relationships; as it is is both used for relational maintenance and relationship dissolution (Ramirez & Broneck, 2012; Weisskirch & Delevi, 2012). Due to time restraints, we were unable to conduct a Facebook conversation that was meaningful enough to induce anxiety. Future studies could conduct a longitudinal study, in which the participants interact with the confederate, via online communication, for an extended period of time to help develop a meaningful relationship. There is a need for future studies to investigate the role of message length and speed on interpersonal relationships and anxiety, as it is through these mediums that consequences can unfold. Bennett, J. (2014, August 29). Bubbles carry a lot of weight: Texting anxiety caused by little bubbles. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/31/fashion/texting-anxiety-caused-by-little-bubbles.html Gonzales, A. G. (2014). Text-based communication influences self-esteem more than face-to-face or cellphone communication. Computers In Human Behavior, 39, 197-203. Hale, J. L., Burgoon, J. K., & Householder, B. (2005). The relational communication scale. In V. Manusov (Ed.), The sourcebook of nonverbal measures: Going beyond words. 127-139. Hillside, NJ: Erlbaum. Ramirez, A., & Broneck, K. (2012). ‘IM me’: Instant messaging as relational maintenance and everyday communication. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 26(2-3), 291-314. doi:10.1177/0265407509106719 Ramsey, M. A., Gentzler, A. L., Morey, J. N., Oberhauser, A. M., & Westerman, D. (2013). College students' use of communication technology with parents: Comparisons between two cohorts in 2009 and 2011. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, And Social Networking, 16(10), 747-752. doi:10.1089/cyber.2012.0534 Reysen, S. (2005). Construction of a new scale: The Reysen likability scale. Social Behavior and Personality, 33(2), 201-208. Sedikides, C., W.K. Campbell, G.D. Reeder, & A.J. Elliot (1999). The relationship closeness induction task. Representative Research in Social Psychology, 23, 1-4. Spielberger, C. D. (1983). Manual for the state-trait anxiety inventory (STAI). PaloAlto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press. United States Census Bureau. (2013). Computer & Internet Trends in America. Retrieved October 20th, 2014, from http://www.census.gov/hhes/computer/files/2012/Computer_Use_Infographic_FINAL.pdf Weisskirch, R. S., & Delevi, R. (2012). Its ovr b/n u n me: Technology use, attachment styles, and gender roles in relationship dissolution. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, And Social Networking, 15(9), 486-490. doi:10.1089/cyber.2012.0169 DV: Participants completed… Anxiety: State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, 1-4 pt. scale (Spielberger, 1983). Likeability of Confederate: Reysen Likeability Scale, 1-5 pt. scale (Reysen, 2005) Relational Evaluation of relationship with confederate: Relational Communication Scale, 1-5 pt. scale (Hale, Burgoon, & Householder, 2005), Emails: alebeaut@fandm.edu astrunk@fandm.edu mlandy@fandm.edu