Saint John’s Prep Senior’s Own Experience Inspires Research in Cyberpsychology Posted on October 11, 2017 in Student News Saint John’s Prep is proud to congratulate Hyung Kyu “Matt” Ham ’18 for being selected to have his cyberpsychology research published by the International Social Science Conference for Youth (ISSCY). Matt in front of a MRI machine at the Korea University research center Matt’s research focused on how the use of technology, gaming and the internet affects teen minds and behavior. Matt says he’s experienced video game addiction and was very interested in how it affected himself and other young people. “I experienced video game addiction during two years of middle school, while in Korea. I was absent from school and didn’t meet the minimum days needed for graduation. With my own experience in teenage cyberpsychology, I designed my research to study the relationship between excessive teenage smartphone use and mental disorders/behaviors like anxiety, depression, and self-control.” Matt surveyed 90 Korean and American teenagers. He used the cyber outlets of YouTube and Google to conduct his research. Click here to learn more about Matt’s research. Matt is working with Dr. Richard Wielkiewicz and Dr. Michael Livingston with the Psychology Department at the College of Saint Benedict for additional guidance and feedback. ISSCY is an international research competition for high school students. It is a program that is co-hosted and sponsored by the World Federation of United Nations Associations. Organizers hope the research will encourage young people to study the humanities and social sciences. Matt submitted his cyberpsychology proposal and was then invited to submit his full article on his research. It will be published in ISSCY’s Online Journal. Matt is the son of Byun Joo Ham and Min Jung Kang of Jung-Gu, Korea. Matt is a senior at Saint John’s Prep who is interested in studying medicine in college. Besides being a researcher, he is a Peer Mentor and a member of Student Council, Math Team, Chinese Club and World Club. He has worked as a research assistant for the Department of Psychology at Korea University.
