Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify the moderation effect of cognitive flexibility on the relationship between internet flow and internet addiction. A total of 468 young adults completed the Internet addiction scale (A-scale), Flow experience scale, and Cognitive Flexibility Inventory (CFI). CES-D and BAI were distributed to the respondents to control for any influence of depression and anxiety. The findings of this study were as follows: First, the total score of internet flow and subscales of internet flow (skill, challenge, interaction, focused attention) showed positive correlations with internet addiction. Moreover, the total score of CFI and subscales of CFI (alternative, control) showed negative correlations with internet addiction. Second, the total score of CFI presented a moderation effect on the relationship between internet flow and internet addiction. CFI-alternative subscale presented a moderation effect on the relationships between all the subscales of internet flow(skill, challenge, interaction, focused attention) and internet addiction. CFI-control subscale showed a moderation effect on the relationships between 2 subscales of internet flow (interaction, focused attention) and internet addiction. The results were significant after controlling for depression and anxiety. Implications of the findings and limitations of this study with further suggestions for future research were discussed.