Reading on a smartphone affects sigh generation, brain activity, and comprehension

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Psychophysiology

Background:

• Electronic devices are ubiquitous, but their use can negatively impact cognitive functions.
• Reduced reading comprehension is a known issue when using electronic devices, yet its underlying mechanisms remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the cause of comprehension decline during smartphone reading.
• To explore the relationship between respiration, brain activity, and reading comprehension on electronic devices.

Main Methods:

• Simultaneous measurement of respiration and prefrontal cortex brain activity during reading tasks.
• Comparison between reading on a smartphone and reading on paper medium.
• Path analysis to determine causal relationships between physiological measures and comprehension.

Main Results:

• Smartphone reading led to fewer sighs and increased prefrontal cortex overactivity compared to paper reading.
• Reduced reading comprehension was observed with smartphone use.
• Sigh frequency was affected by the visual environment, unlike normal breathing patterns.

Conclusions:

• The decline in reading comprehension on smartphones is linked to an interactive effect between sigh inhibition and prefrontal cortex overactivity.
• Respiration plays a significant role in cognitive function, influenced by the visual medium.
• Findings offer new insights into respiration-mediated cognitive mechanisms.