Note: This study found no significant biological effects under its experimental conditions. We include all studies for scientific completeness.
Cell phone use and visual attention.
Golden C, Golden CJ, Schneider B. · 2003
View Original AbstractCell phone conversations impair driving attention as much as face-to-face talk, but both significantly reduce visual processing compared to undistracted driving.
Plain English Summary
Researchers tested 45 licensed drivers on a visual attention task under three conditions: no distractions, talking to someone in the room, or having a cell phone conversation. Both talking conditions significantly impaired visual attention compared to the control group, but cell phone use wasn't more distracting than face-to-face conversation. This suggests the cognitive load of conversation itself, rather than the phone technology, is the primary factor affecting attention while driving.
Study Details
The purpose of the present study was to evaluate how much cell phones and just speaking (similar to speaking to someone in the car vs a hands-free cell phone task) interfere with visual attention skills as might be required in a driving situation.
Influence of cell phones on attention has been noted but little research has been completed. License...
Overall, there were substantial differences among groups on all variables, but primarily between the...
Thus, while cell phones were distracting to visual attention functions on the Connors task, they were not more distracting than a similarly active conversation without a cell phone.
Show BibTeX
@article{c_2003_cell_phone_use_and_3040,
author = {Golden C and Golden CJ and Schneider B.},
title = {Cell phone use and visual attention.},
year = {2003},
doi = {10.2466/pms.2003.97.2.385},
url = {https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.2466/pms.2003.97.2.385},
}