The effects of smartphone Notifications on
working memory performance: A true
experimental study
Project Summary
Distractions from notifications on phones and other electronic devices can
impair concentration and memorisation. Examining the effects of various
smartphone alerts on working memory accuracy during cognitive tasks is
the primary objective of this research. Volunteers will be assigned at
random to one of four conditions: no notice, quiet visual notification,
vibration, or sound, all utilising a one-way between-subjects experimental
design. Notifications will be sent out at regular intervals during the n-back
job in order to mimic real-world interruptions. We postulate that, in
contrast to the control condition, those in the notification-free condition,
especially those using sound and vibration, will display noticeably less
accuracy.
Background
Working memory is the short-term storage and manipulation of
information that is essential for reasoning, comprehension, and goal-
oriented behaviour (Baddeley, 2012). Because it can only hold about four
bits of information, it can be influenced, but it does help with reading and
making decisions (Cowan, 2010; Oberauer, 2019). When people are
distracted, they use up their mental resources, which makes them less
efficient at what they do (Engle, 2002).
Smartphones are a significant distraction. Any notification—hearing,
seeing, or touching—is meant to draw attention (Stothart, Mitchum, &
Yehnert, 2015). They facilitate communication, but they often emerge
when people need to concentrate for a long time, diverting their attention
and using their limited working memory. Smartphones can cause "brain
drain" (Ward, Duke, Gneezy, & Bos, 2017). Thornton, Faires, Robbins, &
Rollins (2014) discovered that visible phones impair reasoning.
To understand this interference, one can go to the attentional-capture
paradigm (Yantis, 2000) and load theory (Lavie, 2005). Due to the limited
capacity of the human attention span, certain stimuli, such as ringtones or
, vibrations, are hardwired to attract attention, regardless of their practical
use. The central-executive component of working memory is utterly
blocked by this involuntary capture, say Baddeley and Hitch (1974).
According to research in neurocognition, this is the case: when we
experience novel stimuli, such as a loud noise or a sudden touch, our
brains trigger orienting reactions, which act as a brief diversion from our
current activities (Tana et al., 2019).
The costs of performance are abundantly demonstrated by empirical
studies. Research by Kushlev, Proulx, and Dunn (2016) shows that an
overwhelming number of notifications can disrupt one's ability to
concentrate and complete tasks. No matter how much attention you give
to a notification on your phone, research by Stothart et al. (2015) and
Wilmer, Sherman, and Chein (2017) shows that it reduces operational
memory accuracy. Evidence like this points to cognitive "switch costs"
(Monsell, 2003) as a result of executive control resources being used for
attention suppression.
Many studies have concentrated on auditory perception, but tactile
perception has received very little attention (Wong, Wong, & Leung,
2019). The difficulty in determining the extent to which each type of alert
may effect you stems from the fact that there are several types of
notifications seen in daily life. A better understanding of the effects of
various distractions on working memory can be gained by delving into
theories of attentional regulation and exploring strategies to alleviate
cognitive overload in educational and occupational settings.
To sum up, working memory is essential for many mental processes, yet it
is easily disrupted by visible external inputs. It becomes more difficult to
think clearly due to the competition for our attention from smartphone
notifications. To determine how different types of notifications affected
working-memory accuracy, this study included a four-level independent
variable: sound, vibration, quiet visual, and no-notification control. This
study shows that smartphone alerts have a negative impact on cognitive
sharpness using accuracy as the only dependent variable.
working memory performance: A true
experimental study
Project Summary
Distractions from notifications on phones and other electronic devices can
impair concentration and memorisation. Examining the effects of various
smartphone alerts on working memory accuracy during cognitive tasks is
the primary objective of this research. Volunteers will be assigned at
random to one of four conditions: no notice, quiet visual notification,
vibration, or sound, all utilising a one-way between-subjects experimental
design. Notifications will be sent out at regular intervals during the n-back
job in order to mimic real-world interruptions. We postulate that, in
contrast to the control condition, those in the notification-free condition,
especially those using sound and vibration, will display noticeably less
accuracy.
Background
Working memory is the short-term storage and manipulation of
information that is essential for reasoning, comprehension, and goal-
oriented behaviour (Baddeley, 2012). Because it can only hold about four
bits of information, it can be influenced, but it does help with reading and
making decisions (Cowan, 2010; Oberauer, 2019). When people are
distracted, they use up their mental resources, which makes them less
efficient at what they do (Engle, 2002).
Smartphones are a significant distraction. Any notification—hearing,
seeing, or touching—is meant to draw attention (Stothart, Mitchum, &
Yehnert, 2015). They facilitate communication, but they often emerge
when people need to concentrate for a long time, diverting their attention
and using their limited working memory. Smartphones can cause "brain
drain" (Ward, Duke, Gneezy, & Bos, 2017). Thornton, Faires, Robbins, &
Rollins (2014) discovered that visible phones impair reasoning.
To understand this interference, one can go to the attentional-capture
paradigm (Yantis, 2000) and load theory (Lavie, 2005). Due to the limited
capacity of the human attention span, certain stimuli, such as ringtones or
, vibrations, are hardwired to attract attention, regardless of their practical
use. The central-executive component of working memory is utterly
blocked by this involuntary capture, say Baddeley and Hitch (1974).
According to research in neurocognition, this is the case: when we
experience novel stimuli, such as a loud noise or a sudden touch, our
brains trigger orienting reactions, which act as a brief diversion from our
current activities (Tana et al., 2019).
The costs of performance are abundantly demonstrated by empirical
studies. Research by Kushlev, Proulx, and Dunn (2016) shows that an
overwhelming number of notifications can disrupt one's ability to
concentrate and complete tasks. No matter how much attention you give
to a notification on your phone, research by Stothart et al. (2015) and
Wilmer, Sherman, and Chein (2017) shows that it reduces operational
memory accuracy. Evidence like this points to cognitive "switch costs"
(Monsell, 2003) as a result of executive control resources being used for
attention suppression.
Many studies have concentrated on auditory perception, but tactile
perception has received very little attention (Wong, Wong, & Leung,
2019). The difficulty in determining the extent to which each type of alert
may effect you stems from the fact that there are several types of
notifications seen in daily life. A better understanding of the effects of
various distractions on working memory can be gained by delving into
theories of attentional regulation and exploring strategies to alleviate
cognitive overload in educational and occupational settings.
To sum up, working memory is essential for many mental processes, yet it
is easily disrupted by visible external inputs. It becomes more difficult to
think clearly due to the competition for our attention from smartphone
notifications. To determine how different types of notifications affected
working-memory accuracy, this study included a four-level independent
variable: sound, vibration, quiet visual, and no-notification control. This
study shows that smartphone alerts have a negative impact on cognitive
sharpness using accuracy as the only dependent variable.
