Poster Presentations - Guzman Lecture Hall
The Relationship of Cell Phone Usage to Personality and Attention
Location
Guzman Lecture Hall Poster #5
Start Date
4-24-2015 1:30 PM
End Date
4-24-2015 2:30 PM
Student Type
Undergraduate
Faculty Mentor(s)
William Philips, Ph.D.
Presentation Format
Poster Presentation
Abstract/Description
Cell phones seem to create distraction and anxiety in student’s daily lives. Two studies were conducted to measure the anxiety related to cell phones and the distraction caused by a cell phone. The first study tests if distraction would occur just by the ring from a cell phone (i.e. students will score lower on a memory task). The procedure will include 35 students enrolled in Introduction to Psychology. During a normal lecture on Memory, a PowerPoint slide will be shown asking students to recall eighteen random one-syllable words. During this memory test, a phone will be set to ring once the students are asked to recall the words. Directly following the first task, a similar memory test will be given using different words with no cell phone interruption. In the second study, a survey consisting of the neuroticism and withdrawal personality trait measures (DeYoung, Quilty & Peterson, 2007) will be issued to the Introductory Psychology students as well as 70 other participants using Surveymonkey.com. The survey questions will examine cell phone usage and its relationship to personality and attention between those who are compulsive texters versus those who are light texters. It is hypothesized that 1) males text to exchange information and females text to socially connect, 2) those who are compulsive texters experience higher neuroticism and higher withdrawal versus light texters, and 3) cell phones are highly distracting in a classroom setting.
The Relationship of Cell Phone Usage to Personality and Attention
Guzman Lecture Hall Poster #5
Cell phones seem to create distraction and anxiety in student’s daily lives. Two studies were conducted to measure the anxiety related to cell phones and the distraction caused by a cell phone. The first study tests if distraction would occur just by the ring from a cell phone (i.e. students will score lower on a memory task). The procedure will include 35 students enrolled in Introduction to Psychology. During a normal lecture on Memory, a PowerPoint slide will be shown asking students to recall eighteen random one-syllable words. During this memory test, a phone will be set to ring once the students are asked to recall the words. Directly following the first task, a similar memory test will be given using different words with no cell phone interruption. In the second study, a survey consisting of the neuroticism and withdrawal personality trait measures (DeYoung, Quilty & Peterson, 2007) will be issued to the Introductory Psychology students as well as 70 other participants using Surveymonkey.com. The survey questions will examine cell phone usage and its relationship to personality and attention between those who are compulsive texters versus those who are light texters. It is hypothesized that 1) males text to exchange information and females text to socially connect, 2) those who are compulsive texters experience higher neuroticism and higher withdrawal versus light texters, and 3) cell phones are highly distracting in a classroom setting.