Effects of a cell phone conversation on cognitive processing performances.

Background: The ability to apportion cognitive resources to process multiple visual and auditory stimuli is essential for human communication in competing conditions. Purpose: The purpose of the current research was to examine the effects of a cell phone conversation on a battery of cognitive tests,...

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Published in:Journal of the American Academy of Audiology Vol. 20; no. 9; pp. 582 - 589
Main Authors: Kemker BE, Stierwalt JAG, LaPointe LL, Heald GR
Format: research tables/charts Journal Article
Published: Thieme Medical Publishing Inc. Oct2009
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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      dt: Oct2009
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      pub: Thieme Medical Publishing Inc.
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        atl: Effects of a cell phone conversation on cognitive processing performances.
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          Kemker BE
          Stierwalt JAG
          LaPointe LL
          Heald GR
        affil: Assistant Provost, Associate Professor, Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, 118 College Drive #9667, Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001
      sug:
        subj:
          Audiovisuals
          Conversation
          Distraction
          Language Processing
          Wireless Communications
          Acoustic Stimulation
          Adult
          Analysis of Variance
          Attention
          Clinical Assessment Tools
          Comparative Studies
          Control Group
          Experimental Studies
          Female
          Interview Guides
          Post Hoc Analysis
          Reaction Time
          Repeated Measures
          Students, College
          Visual Perception
          Adult: 19-44 years
          Female
      ab: Background: The ability to apportion cognitive resources to process multiple visual and auditory stimuli is essential for human communication in competing conditions. Purpose: The purpose of the current research was to examine the effects of a cell phone conversation on a battery of cognitive tests, using both timing (RT) and accuracy (N) as dependent measures. Research Design: A repeated measures ANOVA was conducted. Study Sample: Forty-two college-age (mean 22 yr) adult females with normal hearing and cognitive function participated in the study. Data Collection and Analysis: In one condition (quiet), a standardized cognitive assessment battery was administered to participants in a quiet room. In the (cell phone) condition, subjects were formulating and responding to specific questions about their travel experiences during administration of the same cognitive assessment battery. The computer automatically records subject performance. Post-hoc pairwise comparisons were conducted using the Bonferroni approach. The alpha level was set at .05 for all data analysis. This method of analysis was repeated for each of the dependent measures, RT, and N. Results: The results revealed a consistent, significant effect on reaction time between the two conditions. The same analysis was also conducted to examine the effect of participation in a cell phone discussion on accuracy. As with RT, results revealed a consistent, significant affect on A' between the two conditions. Conclusions: Our study supports the notion that there are differential effects of auditory distracters across cognitive spheres. For simple automatic type visual cognitive tasks, the effect is minimal. However, as visual tasks increase in difficulty, the effect of the auditory distraction is magnified, particularly when the task requires extensive division of language resources.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        research
        tables/charts
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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