ARTICLE REVIEW 3
The study employed a robust design in terms of the sample size and research instrument.
Using a large sample can enhance the accuracy of the sample estimates. Additionally, measuring
smartphone addiction using the SAS-SV instrument is likely to yield highly accurate data from
the study’s participants. However, as Haug et al. (2015) notes, the validation of the SAS-SV was
based on a sample of Korean adolescents. Therefore, the instrument should be validated for use
among adolescents in Switzerland. Limitations to sampling might adversely influence the study’s
validity and reliability. In particular, the participants of the study comprise a convenience sample
of students in vocational schools in Switzerland. While the use of a convenient sample is cost
and time effective, there are adverse effects on the external validity of the study because the
sample is likely to result from an inadequate sampling frame that does not include all the units of
the interest population. As a result, the sample is not representative of the population of
adolescents in Switzerland and the study’s findings are not generalizable to the population.
Further, the survey responses were self-reported by the participants, which could result in
bias. Haug et al. (2015) assert that self-report is prone to recall bias and time distortion. Recall
bias could be intentional or unintentional and adversely affects the study’s internal validity.
Specifically, the information on smartphone use is based on recall, which is dependent on the
memory of the participants. Memory is often imperfect, and the accuracy of recall depends on
the time interval between the event and the assessment, with a long interval resulting in lower
accuracy than a short interval. In this regard, the data for the study has low reliability.
To sum up, the study by Haug et al. (2015) is well-designed to evaluate smartphone
addiction among adolescents in Switzerland. The study’s strength is based on the large sample
size and the use of a validated instrument -- the SAS-SV. However, the validity of the study is
adversely influenced by the use of convenience sampling and self-reported data.
