Mobile phones: The effect of its presence on learning and memory

Tanil, Clarissa Theodora; Yong, Min Hooi

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0219233

Cited by 46 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 33 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Similar findings were seen in Tanil and Yong (2020), where participants either left their smartphone with the experimenter (i.e., away from the participant) or the participant's smartphone was left with the participant. Then, they completed a computerized working memory task span task.…”

Section: Smartphone Researchsupporting

confidence: 71%

Reexamining the “Brain Drain” Effect: Does Ward et al. (2017) Replicate?

Pardo¹,

Minda²

2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The present study was a pre-registered direct replication of Ward et al.’s (2017) second experiment (OSF pre-registration found at: https://osf.io/5fq4r). This replication assigned both smartphone location (on desk, in pocket/bag, or outside of the testing room) and smartphone power (on, or off) for a total of six conditions. Participants completed an automated operation span (OSpan) task, a cue-dependent go/no-go task, and the smartphone attachment and dependency inventory. It was hypothesized that performance on an attention-demanding task (i.e., the OSpan task) would be worse for those in closer proximity to their smartphone (on desk) and that those with greater smartphone attachment and dependency would have a larger “brain drain” effect. Using the same tasks and conditions as in Ward et al.’s (2017) second experiment, the present study found that the “brain drain” effect did not replicate: there was no difference between smartphone location conditions on performance on either the o-span task or the go/no-go task. These findings demonstrate that the mere presence of one’s smartphone may not be enough to affect cognitive performance. Understanding these effects is crucial in a time where smartphones are a basic necessity.

show abstract

Section: Smartphone Researchsupporting

confidence: 71%

Reexamining the “Brain Drain” Effect: Does Ward et al. (2017) Replicate?

Pardo¹,

Minda²

2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The failed replication result directly adds to the line of research on the negative consequences of the mere presence of a mobile device [ 12 , 13 , 49 – 51 ], by suggesting that this negative influence may not be as marked as was previously assumed. If we cannot exclude that there might be other instances where this presence is harmful, our findings at least point out the fragility of the phenomenon.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

“…Przybylski and Weinstein's [12] findings would suggest that the mere presence of a phone may hurt group creativity, since it would presumably prevent an optimal relationship between group members. Another example is research showing that the mere presence of a mobile phone taxes working memory [47][48][49][50][51], which is another critical antecedent of creative thinking. Working memory is needed to transform preliminary mental idea components into creative ideas [52][53][54][55], and one type of working memory-short-term memory-is an additional aid in group-settings to remember others' ideas and stimulate one's idea generation, as well as to avoid idea loss when waiting to speak [56,57].…”

Section: The Mere Presence Of Phones and Creativitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Note that some research suggests that there may be a positive effect of the mere presence of a phone on creativity. The mere exposure to a mobile phone was shown to divert attention away from a focal task [ 47 , 49 – 51 ]. In turn, research suggests that diverting the attention away from a creative task can be beneficial to generate ideas and solutions [ 40 , 58 – 60 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

How bad is the mere presence of a phone? A replication of Przybylski and Weinstein (2013) and an extension to creativity

Linares

Sellier

2021

PLoS ONE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A 2013 article reported two experiments suggesting that the mere presence of a cellphone (vs. a notebook) can impair the relationship quality between strangers. The purpose of the present research is twofold: (1) closely replicate this article’s findings, and (2) examine whether there may be an impact of the mere presence of a phone on creativity, whether at a group- or an individual- level. In two experiments (N = 356 participants, 136 groups), we followed the original procedure in the 2013 article. In particular, groups of participants who had never seen each other before the study had a conversation in the mere presence of either a smartphone or a notebook. The participants then carried out creative tasks, in groups (Studies 1 and 2) or alone (Study 1). In both studies, we failed to replicate the original results on relationship quality. We also failed to find any effect of the mere presence of a phone on creativity. We discuss possible reasons which may have caused differences between our results and the original ones. Our main conclusion is an effect of the mere presence of a phone on relationship quality and creativity is at minimum harder to find than what was previously assumed in the literature. More generally, this research contributes to qualify the view that smartphones are harmful.

show abstract

“…In this study, it is not clear whether the facilitative effect of the presence of cell phones on creativity is stronger than the disruptive effect produced by distraction. Although multiple researchers have observed negative effects of cell phone presence [28][29][30][31]59 , many others have concluded that it is di cult to replicate the effects of a cell phone's presence and that the effects can even be described as weak [60][61][62][63] . It is likely that other potential factors (e.g., task meaningfulness to participants and individual differences in emotion-related impulsivity) can moderate or limit the negative effects such that they are not evident in a wide range of situations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of The Presence of A Cell Phone And Exposure To Natural Environments On Remote Associates Task Performance

Wenjuan

Dempo

Kimura

et al. 2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In today’s advanced information society, creativity in work is highly valued, and there is growing interest in the kinds of work environments that produce more creative outcomes. Recent researchers have demonstrated that when environmental factors change a worker’s attentional state to a diffused state, the worker has access to more information than usual, which can contribute to creativity. Here, we examined whether manipulating environmental factors (the presence of a cell phone and exposure to natural environment) that could affect such attention states would improve performance on the Remote Associates Task, a measure of creativity. Our results showed that the presence of a cell phone increased creative performance regardless of immersion in natural environment. In contrast, exposure to nature did not facilitate creative performance; instead, feelings of pleasure increased, and frustration decreased. These results suggest that the presence of a cell phone can enhance creativity by influencing workers’ attentional states. The current study provides a meaningful approach to enhancing creativity by modulating attentional states through environmental factors. It also highlights the essential features of environmental factors that can moderate creative abilities.

show abstract

Mobile phones: The effect of its presence on learning and memory

Cited by 46 publications

References 33 publications

Reexamining the “Brain Drain” Effect: Does Ward et al. (2017) Replicate?

Reexamining the “Brain Drain” Effect: Does Ward et al. (2017) Replicate?

How bad is the mere presence of a phone? A replication of Przybylski and Weinstein (2013) and an extension to creativity

Effects of The Presence of A Cell Phone And Exposure To Natural Environments On Remote Associates Task Performance

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About