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Journal of the Association for Consumer Research
Brain Drain: The Mere Presence of One’s Own Smartphone Reduces Available Cognitive Capacity
Research summary
Two controlled experiments found the best working-memory and fluid-intelligence performance when phones were in another room and the lowest when phones were visible. Later replication results are mixed.
Evidence strengths
- Two controlled experiments
- Objective cognitive tasks
Limitations
- Later replication results are mixed
- Specific device and task conditions
Topics
- Cognitive Science
- Memory
- Human-AI Interaction
Connected claims
- Supports
Smartphone presence or use has a small negative average association with cognitive performance, but the effect varies substantially by domain and context.
Two experiments found lower cognitive-task performance when participants phones were visible rather than in another room.