The distracting effects of a ringing cell phone: An investigation
of the laboratory and the classroom setting
Journal of Environmental Psychology, (2009)Abstract
The detrimental effects of a ringing phone on cognitive performance
were investigated in four experiments. In Experiments 1 and 2, the
effects of different types of sounds (a standard cell phone ring,
irrelevant tones and an instrumental song commonly encountered by
participants) on performance were examined. In Experiment 1, slower
responses were observed in all auditory groups relative to a silence
condition, but participants in the ring and song conditions recovered
more slowly. In Experiment 2, participants who were warned about
the potential for distraction recovered more quickly, suggesting
a benefit of this prior knowledge. This investigation continued in
a college classroom setting (Experiments 3a and 3b); students were
exposed to a ringing cell phone during the lecture. Performance on
a surprise quiz revealed low accuracy rates on material presented
while the phone was ringing. These findings offer insight into top-down
cognitive processes that moderate involuntary orienting responses
associated with a common stimulus encountered in the environment.