Abilene Christian University Phenomena of Boredom Article Discussion

Have you ever wondered what exactly is “boredom”??? We all experience boredom. Or , at least, most of us will admit to having experienced boredom at some point in our lives — maybe less so during finals. What are the causes or precursors to this human experience? What are the ramifications?

These 2 articles (included on one PDF) address these points exactly. Both articles research the phenomena of boredom, but from very different perspectives and methodologies. Lets use these 2 articles as a basis for our discussion this week.

As you read the articles and post your thoughts, I want you to give us your interpretation of the findings, of course. What do you think these 2 articles say about boredom? What can we conclude in general about this state of mind?

But, I also want us to strongly consider the different methods that are employed in these articles. Use your honed research skills from these past weeks, and really think about how different methods can really answer different questions — about one very specific topic! Think about how the authors of these articles defined their variables and chose IVs and DVs, experimental and non-experimental methods, participants for their study, etc. How do the choices researchers make about the types of methods they use affect general conclusions?

One note here: avoid the temptation to conclude that research tells us nothing because it tells us too many different things. Instead, be sophisticated, critical evaluators of science and apply your knowledge and expertise to tackle these issues.