Between Curiosity and Concern: Gender Differences in Artificial Intelligence Anxiety among Psychology Students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62486/latia2025244Keywords:
Anxiety, Artificial Intelligence, Psychology Students, Higher EducationAbstract
As Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to reshape human life and work, understanding how future psychologists perceive and emotionally respond to this technology has become increasingly important. Psychology students, trained to explore cognition, emotion, and behavior, occupy a unique position in interpreting the human implications of AI integration. This study examined the levels and dimensions of AI anxiety, including learning, job replacement, sociotechnical blindness, and AI configuration, and explored gender differences using a descriptive-correlational quantitative design. A total of 221 psychology students participated in the study. Descriptive statistics revealed a moderate overall anxiety level (M = 4,36, SD = 1,36), with the highest mean scores found in job replacement (M = 4,87, SD = 1,74) and sociotechnical blindness (M = 4,84, SD = 1,67), indicating apprehension toward job loss, technological misuse, and ethical uncertainty. Results from an independent samples t-test showed that female students (M = 4,51) reported significantly higher anxiety than males (M = 4,01), t (219) = 2,54, p = 0,006, d = 0,37, suggesting a small to moderate effect. Overall, the findings indicate that psychology students’ AI anxiety reflects not only technological apprehension but also ethical and professional awareness. The study recommends embedding AI literacy, ethical reasoning, and gender-sensitive training within psychology programs to foster confidence, critical engagement, and readiness for responsible participation in AI-supported practice and research. These implications highlight the need for universities to address emotional and cognitive readiness toward AI early in professional training, ensuring that future psychologists develop balanced, human-centered competencies that harmonize empathy with technological fluency.
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