COVER:

Psychology and the Internet

• A mirror on the self

  Considered by some to be the ultimate identity tool, the Internet allows us to explore other facets of our personalities. The danger lies in failing to integrate online and offline selves, psychologists say.

• Linking up online

  Is the Internet enhancing interpersonal connections or leading to greater social isolation?

• Is Internet addiction real?

  More research is being conducted to explore the way people use--and misuse--the Internet.

• Self-help sites: a blessing or a bane?

  With managed-care companies and more consumers moving online, psychologists are poised to offer Web services. Still, questions loom about the quality of services and information provided on health-related sites.

• A renaissance for everyone?

  The technology revolution could widen old gaps in opportunity.

• Taking telehealth to the next step

  Providing psychotherapy from a distance is still in its infancy, but it may not be long until it's mainstream, experts predict.

• How will the rules on telehealth be written?

  Psychologists seek to influence regulations that govern telehealth practice--before outsiders write them first.

• A Web of research

  They're fun, they're fast and they save money, but do Web experiments yield quality results?

• Online experiments: ethically fair or foul?

  Researchers are facing new ethical challenges as they conduct experiments on the World Wide Web.

• Reinventing class discussion online

  Professors find that role-playing, peer feedback and other icebreakers get students talking on the Web.