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Effects of a cell phone conversation on cognitive processing performances
Brett E Kemker1, Julie A G Stierwalt, Leonard L LaPointe
1Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001, USA.
Journal of the American Academy of Audiology
|November 12, 2009
Summary
Cell phone conversations significantly impair cognitive performance, affecting both reaction time and accuracy on cognitive tests. The impact increases with task complexity, especially when language processing is required.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Communication Studies
Background:
- Effective communication in noisy environments requires cognitive resource allocation.
- Auditory distractions can interfere with cognitive processing and task performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of cell phone conversations on cognitive test performance.
- To measure changes in reaction time (RT) and accuracy (A') during a cell phone conversation.
Main Methods:
- A repeated measures ANOVA was used to analyze data from 42 college-age females.
- Participants completed cognitive tests in both quiet and cell phone conversation conditions.
- Reaction time and accuracy were recorded as dependent measures.
Main Results:
- Cell phone conversations significantly impacted reaction time (RT).
- Accuracy (A') was also significantly affected by cell phone conversations.
- The detrimental effects were consistent across both measures.
Conclusions:
- Auditory distractions, like cell phone calls, differentially affect cognitive tasks.
- Simple visual tasks show minimal impact, while complex tasks requiring language processing are more susceptible.
- Cognitive resource division is crucial for understanding these effects.
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