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Effects of practice, age, and task demands, on interference from a phone task while driving.

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Shinar D, Tractinsky N, Compton R · 2005

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Phone conversations create measurable cognitive interference that improves with practice but never fully disappears, especially for older adults.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers studied how phone conversations affect driving performance over time, testing drivers in a simulator across five sessions with hands-free phone tasks. They found that while phone conversations initially interfere with driving skills, drivers gradually adapt and the interference diminishes with practice, though older drivers and more complex phone tasks still showed greater impairment. This suggests the cognitive load from phone use while driving can be partially managed through experience, but significant risks remain.

Why This Matters

This study reveals a crucial aspect of how our brains handle the cognitive demands of phone use that's often overlooked in EMF research. While the focus here is on driving performance rather than biological effects, it demonstrates that phone conversations create measurable cognitive interference that affects complex tasks requiring attention and coordination. The finding that older adults show greater vulnerability aligns with broader research showing age-related differences in EMF sensitivity and cognitive processing. What this means for you is that the mental load from phone use isn't just about the device itself, but how your brain manages multiple demanding tasks simultaneously. The science demonstrates that even hands-free phone conversations require significant cognitive resources, and while we can adapt somewhat over time, the interference never fully disappears.

Exposure Information

Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.

Study Details

Experimental research on the effects of cellular phone conversations on driving indicates that the phone task interferes with many driving-related functions, especially with older drivers. Unfortunately in past research (1) the dual task conditions were not repeated in order to test for learning, (2) the 'phone tasks' were not representative of real conversations, and (3) most often both the driving and the phone tasks were experimenter-paced. In real driving drivers learn to time-share various tasks, they can pace their driving to accommodate the demands of a phone conversation, and they can even partially pace the phone conversation to accommodate the driving demands. The present study was designed to better simulate real driving conditions by providing a simulated driving environment with repeated experiences of driving while carrying two different hands-free 'phone' tasks with different proximities to real conversations.

In the course of five sessions of driving and using the phone, there was a learning effect on most o...

Cite This Study
Shinar D, Tractinsky N, Compton R (2005). Effects of practice, age, and task demands, on interference from a phone task while driving. Accid Anal Prev. 37(2):315-326, 2005.
Show BibTeX
@article{d_2005_effects_of_practice_age_2591,
  author = {Shinar D and Tractinsky N and Compton R},
  title = {Effects of practice, age, and task demands, on interference from a phone task while driving. },
  year = {2005},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15667818/},
}
PubMed: 15667818

Cited By (246 papers)

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Quick Questions About This Study

Yes, phone conversations while driving initially impair cognitive function and driving performance. However, research shows drivers can adapt over time, with interference diminishing through practice. Older drivers and complex phone tasks still show greater brain function impairment despite practice.
Hands-free phone calls do cause initial driving problems by creating cognitive interference. A 2005 study found that while drivers gradually adapt to dual-tasking, significant risks remain, especially for older drivers and during emotionally involving conversations.
The cognitive load from phone use, rather than radiation itself, impairs driving concentration. Research demonstrates phone conversations create mental interference that reduces driving performance, though this effect can diminish with practice over multiple driving sessions.
Phone use while driving creates cognitive overload that initially impairs brain function and driving skills. While drivers can adapt through practice, older adults face greater risks, and complex phone tasks maintain higher levels of mental interference.
Phone use initially degrades driving performance through cognitive interference, but drivers show learning effects over time. After five practice sessions, interference diminishes significantly, though older drivers and demanding phone tasks still cause measurable impairment.