Phone Conversation while Processing Information: Chronometric Analysis of Load Effects in Everyday-media...

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Cell-phone conversations are theorized to impair behavior by interfering with cognitive processes.
• Existing models suggest an attentional-failure account for performance decrements.
• The impact on automatic versus controlled information processing requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the effect of cell-phone conversation on cognitive performance in a multitasking setting.
• To determine if phone use slows processing or reduces reliability.
• To differentiate effects on automatic and controlled cognitive processes.

Main Methods:

• A pilot study employed a continuous multitasking paradigm.
• Participants performed a primary arithmetic task while engaged in secondary cell-phone conversations.
• Performance was assessed for effects on processing speed and reliability.

Main Results:

• Active cell-phone conversation, unlike message or call anticipation, significantly impaired primary task performance.
• Performance decrements were characterized by occasional information processing breakdowns, not constant slowdowns.
• Both automatic and controlled cognitive components were differentially affected.

Conclusions:

• Cell-phone conversation increases vulnerability to attention failures rather than causing a uniform slowdown.
• This attentional failure disrupts the stability of cognitive processing during multitasking.
• Findings support the attentional-failure account of cognitive interference from phone use.