Just Like Teens, Parents Get Personal On Facebook

Parents are just as likely as their kids to disclose personal information on the social networking site, according to the research, which will be published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science and is available online now.

And (gasp!) mom and dad are just as susceptible to the need for popularity.

"Facebook is not just a phenomenon among young people," said Emily Christofides, a PhD psychology student who conducted the study with doctoral student Amy Muise and psychology professor Serge Desmarais.

"The online environment influences people of all ages. Both parents and teens share and show more about themselves than they might in other social settings, and the same psychological factors underpin that behaviour."

The study involved 285 non-student adults between the ages of 19 and 71, and 288 youths ages nine to 18. While Facebook requires users to be 13 or older, about 7.5 million users are younger than 13.

The researchers found adolescents reveal more than older users, but only because they spend more time on Facebook, not because they care less about privacy. Teens spend on average 55 minutes a day on Facebook, compared to 38 minutes for adults.

Adults were actually less conscious of the consequences of sharing personal information on Facebook, the study revealed. For both groups, spending more time on the site made people more likely to share. Less awareness of consequences and greater desire to belong predicted more disclosure of personal information.

"Once again, the need for popularity was found to be a significant predictor of information disclosure," Muise said, adding that information disclosure is the key factor in assessing one's popularity.

Being on Facebook requires posting pictures and information and engaging in discussions. What others share and say about you is also a big part. "The people who are the most popular are those whose online identity is actively participated in by others. So the more you share, the more others respond," she said.

Popularity and disclosure become linked, the researchers say. "Facebook is an environment that encourages people to share personal information," Christofides said. "People with a high need for popularity may indeed care about their privacy, but they may not be willing to sacrifice their popularity by implementing privacy controls."

The study was funded by a federal grant from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner. The researchers selected Facebook because it's the most popular social networking website in Canada. Launched in 2004, the site has more than 250 million active users worldwide.
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Exercise Helps Overweight Children Think Better, Do Better in Math

They hope the findings in 171 overweight 7- to 11-year-olds -- all sedentary when the study started -- gives educators the evidence they need to ensure that regular, vigorous physical activity is a part of every school day, said Dr. Catherine Davis, clinical health psychologist at GHSU's Georgia Prevention Institute and corresponding author on the study in Health Psychology.

"I hope these findings will help reestablish physical activity's important place in the schools in helping kids stay physically well and mentally sharp," Davis said. "For children to reach their potential, they need to be active."

To measure cognition, researchers used the Cognitive Assessment System and Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement III that measure abilities such as planning and academic skills such as math and reading. A subset of the children received functional magnetic resonance imaging highlighting increased or decreased areas of brain activity.

MRIs showed those who exercised experienced increased brain activity in the prefrontal cortex -- an area associated with complex thinking, decision making and correct social behavior -- and decreased activity in an area of the brain that sits behind it. The shift forward appears consistent with more rapidly developing cognitive skills, Davis said.

And the more they exercised, the better the result. Intelligence scores increased an average 3.8 points in those exercising 40 minutes per day after school for three months with a smaller benefit in those exercising 20 minutes daily.

Activity in the part of their brain responsible for so-called executive function also increased in children who exercised. "In kids you just don't know what impact you are going to have when you improve their ability to control their attention, to behave better in school, to make better choices," Davis notes. "Maybe they will be more likely to stay in school and out of trouble."

Similar improvements were seen in math skills; interestingly, no improvements were found in reading skill. Researchers note that improved math achievement was "remarkable" since no math lessons were given and suggests longer intervention could produce even better results.

Children in the exercise program played hard, with running games, hula hoops and jump ropes, raising their heart rates to 79 percent of maximum, which is considered vigorous.
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