Table 3 Factor arrays for the five factors
From: College students’ attachment to their smartphones: a subjective operant approach
Statement | F1 | F2 | F3 | F4 | F5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
S29. My smartphone holds lots of my personal secrets. I would feel very uncomfortable if somebody looked inside my phone | + 5 | + 1 | 0 | + 5 | + 1 |
S20. I am used to smartphone browsing prior to going to bed. If I don’t do this, I have a hard time getting to sleep | + 5** | − 1 | + 1 | − 1 | 0 |
S40. I feel safe when I have my smartphone with me. It will help me at times of emergency | + 4 | + 2 | + 2 | + 3 | + 3 |
S14. I habitually check my smartphone once every few minutes. If I don’t check the phone for an extended period of time, I feel like I am missing something important | + 4** | 0 | 0 | 0 | − 2 |
S10. My smartphone is my wallet, my notebook, and my backpack—I need it to make payment, take notes, and record important information | + 4 | + 4 | + 4 | + 5 | + 5 |
S45. When I get onto my smartphone, I often don’t realize how quickly time goes by | + 3 | + 2 | + 3 | + 1 | + 1 |
S2. My smartphone is my main tool of entertainment. I use it to watch videos, read books, and enjoy music | + 3 | + 5 | + 5 | + 2 | + 5 |
9. Whenever I have free time, I get onto my smartphone to kill the time | + 3 | + 2 | + 4* | + 1 | + 3 |
47. After having studied hard or having worked hard at something, it is a great joy to get onto my smartphone for casual browsing | + 3 | + 4 | + 3 | + 2 | + 2 |
17. I feel embarrassed when people sit together and everyone is busy checking their smartphones, without anyone talking to each other | + 2 | + 3 | + 1* | − 1* | + 3 |
24. If I leave my phone behind, I will feel uneasy, and must go back to get my phone before I can continue with the rest of the day | + 2 | 0 | − 3 | − 2 | + 3 |
33. When I buy a new smartphone, I mainly consider best value for the money and practical features. I won’t buy a pricey phone if there is a cheaper replacement available | + 2 | + 4 | + 2 | + 4 | + 1 |
12. I often regret the excessive amount of time I spend on my smartphone, which is interfering with my routine study and daily life | + 2** | + 5** | 0 | 0 | 0 |
48. I am used to casual browsing on my smartphone, just dawdling away my time for no particular purpose | + 2 | + 1 | + 5** | − 2** | + 1* |
11. I have this hate-and-love feeling about my smartphone, because I cannot resist its temptation, and sometimes do things that I regret | + 2* | + 3* | − 2 | 0 | 0 |
50. My smartphone is my reliable helper when I have questions in my life and study | + 1 | + 2 | + 4 | + 1 | + 4 |
23. I put my smartphone within easy reach. If it falls out of my sight, I will feel uneasy | + 1 | − 2** | -5** | + 1 | + 2 |
1. My smartphone is like my housekeeper and aide. It helps me coordinate and track everyday things | + 1 | + 1 | + 3 | + 3 | + 4 |
25. I keep my power bank with me all time. Otherwise my phone would run out of battery before day’s end | + 1 | − 3* | − 1 | 0 | − 1 |
26. If I lost my smartphone, it would be disastrous. I would try everything possible to get it back before I could do anything else | + 1 | − 2 | − 2 | 0 | + 2 |
16. When having a face-to-face conversation, I am offended if the other party checks the phone while listening to me talk | + 1 | + 3 | + 1 | 0 | + 4 |
46. My smartphone gives me a platform to present myself. I use it to record important occasions in my daily life, and publicize information among my network of friends | 0* | + 1 | + 2 | + 4 | + 2 |
32. It is important for me to personalize my apps and the smartphone screen, because I consider my smartphone part of myself | 0 | + 1 | − 3** | + 2 | + 1 |
43. I often get to the end of my bandwidth allowance, and sometimes I use up all the bandwidth at the end of the month | 0 | − 2* | + 2* | 0 | − 4* |
22. I am used to checking my smartphone while waking up in the middle of the night | 0** | − 3 | − 3 | − 3 | − 3 |
8. My smartphone is like my personal agent. It takes care of my daily routines; without it, I would not know what to do | 0 | − 4* | + 1 | − 1 | + 2** |
27. If the teacher asks me to turn in my smartphone in class, I cannot help but think of my phone from time to time in class | 0 | − 1 | − 1 | − 1 | − 1 |
44. I look upon my smartphone as my pal, who understands me well and keeps me company all the time | 0 | − 1* | + 2** | − 5** | 0 |
28. The smartphone is merely a tool for me. Even if I don’t have it, I believe I can still complete my daily study and living tasks | 0 | + 2 | + 3* | + 1 | 0 |
30. I am versed in knowing the features and using most of the apps on my smartphone | − 1 | 0** | − 1 | + 3** | − 2 |
15. With the smartphone on my side, I often have difficulty concentrating on the lectures or doing what the teacher asks me to do in class | − 1* | 0** | − 4 | − 2 | − 2 |
6. My smartphone is like my right-hand pal. I cannot accomplish anything without its help | − 1 | − 5 | − 3 | − 4 | 0 |
49. After having spent so much time with my smartphone, I sometimes feel I am further distanced from my friends and the outside world | − 1* | + 1** | − 4 | − 4 | − 2 |
42. I often make an effort in reducing the amount of time I spend on my smartphone so as to reduce my dependency on it and minimize its interference with my daily life | − 1 | + 2 | − 1 | + 2 | − 1 |
41. Every time I buy a new phone, I feel emotional to part ways with my old phone | − 1 | 0 | + 2 | 0 | 0 |
7. I consider my smartphone a part of my extended family that promotes mutual understanding among family members | − 2 | − 3** | + 1 | − 1 | + 2* |
21. I feel that the use of smartphone has reduced the daily communication between me and my friends | − 2 | + 3** | − 2 | − 4 | − 2 |
4. My smartphone is like a naughty sister/brother: it is lovely when it behaves, but it can be disappointing and annoying at times when it does not behave | − 2 | − 1 | + 1 | − 2 | 0 |
5. My smartphone is like my pet—it knows how to please me, and it knows how to not upset me | − 2 | − 4 | 0* | − 2 | − 1 |
18. Everything I do now depends on the smartphone. I feel hard to communicate with people without the smartphone | − 2 | − 2 | − 4 | − 3 | − 1 |
31. My smartphone is like my twin sister/brother. I share everything with him/her, and she/he knows everything about me | − 2 | − 3 | − 1 | − 2 | − 2 |
3. I regard my smartphone as my slave/servant. It listens to me and does what I ask it to do | − 3 | − 5 | 0** | − 3 | − 3 |
19. My smartphone is just a tool for me in communicating with others. Except voice calls and WeChat messages, I rarely use other apps and features | − 3 | − 2 | − 2 | − 5 | − 5 |
35. I often search for new apps and study their new features, and try them out to see how it works | − 3 | 0 | 0 | + 2** | -3 |
38. I know more about smartphone technologies and apps than most of my fellow students | − 3 | 0 | 0 | + 2** | − 3 |
34. I pay attention to the latest developments with apps, and want to be among the first in installing updates | − 4 | − 1* | 0* | + 4** | − 4 |
37. I pay attention to the newest smartphone releases, and want to know the latest technical features and applications | − 4 | − 1 | − 2 | + 2** | − 4 |
13. I maintain a good level of self-control, and typically complete the tasks I have planned for the day by not spending an excessive amount of time on smartphone use | − 4** | 0 | − 1 | − 1 | − 1 |
36. I value the brand of the smartphone I use, and want to get the best phone I can afford | − 5 | − 2 | − 5 | − 3 | + 1** |
39. Whenever a new generation of the smartphone is released, I try to upgrade to the latest phone if possible | − 5* | − 4 | − 2* | + 1** | − 5 |