Psychological and genetic characteristics and strategies of students’ digital behavior in the context of the formation of the digital ecosystem

Abstract

The objective of our study was to investigate the attributes of the cognitive, affective, and value-semantic domains, along with genetic predictors, that influence the digital behavior of young individuals. The study involved 91 people (33 males and 58 females) aged 18 to 25 years (Russian Federation). In order to measure digital behavior the questioner “Strategies of informational behavior” (SIP) was used. In order to study the cognitive, affective and value-semantic characteristics, the following tests were used: the Test of Life-Sense Orientations, the Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory, the Gottschaldt Figures Test (a measure of embedded figures perception), and a method for assessing thinking style. Genotyping was use to examine polymorphisms of the COMT, DRD2, and BDNF genes. Our findings demonstrate statistically significant associations between constructive and destructive digital behaviors and specific facets of the participants’ cognitive, affective, and value-semantic domains, as well as distinct aspects of dopaminergic system functionality.