Cell Phone Attention

Transcript

You may think when you're driving while talking on the phone that you still notice everything on the road, but studies show you may be missing more than you think.

With your Research Minute, I'm Brandis Griffith.

Researchers at the University of Kansas have found that when someone has a conversation, his or her attention level is greatly reduced.

And cell phone conversations require more attention than those in person, because they are ususally more intense.

“What people visual system is capable of doing if they’re actually engaging in a conversation while driving down the road, and what we’re finding is pretty shocking, and that is people miss a lot of information if talking while driving.”

In his research, associate Psychology Professor Paul Atchley says he used an attention measuring device to see what happens to a person's attention level during conversation.

They were also asked to perform simple tasks while having a conversation - and he found, it took them longer to perform the task, while on the phone.

For information log onto Research Minute DOT-K-U-DOT-E-D-U.

From the University of Kansas I'm Brandis Griffith.

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