WIP: Examining Psychological Distance Perceptions Towards Advanced Technologies among University Students

The rapid development of advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing, has led to their increasing integration into the daily lives of students, including educational settings. Yet, understanding the extent and depth of university students' engagement with these resources remains a significant gap. This work-in-progress study seeks to examine psychological distance perceptions towards advanced technologies among university students. To address this question, we created a quantitative survey guided by the Construal Level Theory (CLT) and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), which included two detailed psychological distance factors: the social distance factor and the hypothetical distance factor. We examined 37 university students from a Western university in the United States through linear regression analysis. We found that demographic factors, including age, race/ethnicity, and academic majors, were the primary predictors of students' psychological distance from advanced technologies. In detail, students who majored in Biomedical Engineering negatively perceived these two technologies, which could be attributed to a perceived irrelevance of these technologies to their specific educational goals. These findings provide important insights into the associations of student backgrounds and psychological distance to advanced technologies in the university setting and suggest ways to create an inclusive, equitable, and future-oriented university learning environment.