Cell Phones Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Excessive cellphone use impacts attention and learning in classrooms. Given that attention declines over time, we investigated when during lecture cellphones might impair learning. Across two experiments, participants watched a 20-min... more

Excessive cellphone use impacts attention and learning in classrooms. Given that attention declines over time, we investigated when during lecture cellphones might impair learning. Across two experiments, participants watched a 20-min lecture under different cellphone conditions (keep or remove). Groups who kept their cellphones received distracting text messages during the lecture. Participants were quizzed on the lecture. Quiz questions were divided into four segments depending on when the material was presented. Lastly, participants' nomophobiadthe fear of being without access to one's cellpho-nedwas assessed. Participants who kept their cellphone performed worse on the quiz for material presented in the 3rd quarter of the lecture than those without cellphones. Distracted participants performed worse on the test for the same material than those who were not distracted. Participants higher in nomophobia, especially on subscales having to do with losing connectedness and giving up convenience , performed worse on the quiz for material that occurred in the 3rd quarter of the lecture. Findings indicate that having cellphones in a short lecture has its largest impact on attention and learning 10 e15 min into the lecture. This study provides novel insights into the interactions between technology and learning to help educators and students optimize learning.

Wireless technologies are ubiquitous today and the mobile phones are one of the prodigious output of this technology. Although the familiarization and dependency of mobile phones is growing at an alarming pace, the biological effects due... more

Wireless technologies are ubiquitous today and the mobile phones are one of the prodigious output of this technology. Although the familiarization and dependency of mobile phones is growing at an alarming pace, the biological effects due to the exposure of radiations have become a subject of intense debate. The present evidence on mobile phone radiation exposure is based on scientific research and public policy initiative to give an overview of what is known of biological effects that occur at radiofrequency (RF)/ electromagnetic fields (EMFs) exposure. The conflict in conclusions is mainly because of difficulty in controlling the affecting parameters. Biological effects are dependent not only on the distance and size of the object (with respect to the object) but also on the environmental parameters. Health endpoints reported to be associated with RF include childhood leukemia, brain tumors, genotoxic effects, neurological effects and neurodegenerative diseases, immune system dereg...

Background:The Bluetooth wireless headset has been promoted as a ‘hands-free’ device with a low emission of electromagnetic radiation.Objective:To evaluate potential changes in hearing function as a consequence of using Bluetooth devices,... more

Background:The Bluetooth wireless headset has been promoted as a ‘hands-free’ device with a low emission of electromagnetic radiation.Objective:To evaluate potential changes in hearing function as a consequence of using Bluetooth devices, by assessing changes in pure tone audiography and distortion production otoacoustic emissions.Design:Prospective study.Materials and methods:Thirty adult volunteers were exposed to a Bluetooth headset device (1) on ‘standby’ setting for 6 hours and (2) at full power for 10 minutes. Post-exposure hearing was evaluated using pure tone audiography and distortion production otoacoustic emission testing.Results:There were no statistically significant changes in hearing, as measured above, following either exposure type.Conclusion:Exposure to the electromagnetic field emitted by a Bluetooth headset, as described above, did not decrease hearing thresholds or alter distortion product otoacoustic emissions.

As part of the Mobile Radiofrequency Phone Exposed Users' Study (MoRPhEUS), a cross-sectional epidemiological study examined cognitive function in... more

As part of the Mobile Radiofrequency Phone Exposed Users' Study (MoRPhEUS), a cross-sectional epidemiological study examined cognitive function in secondary school students. We recruited 317, 7th grade students (144 boys, 173 girls, median age 13 years) from 20 schools around Melbourne, Australia. Participants completed an exposure questionnaire based on the Interphone study, a computerised cognitive test battery, and the Stroop colour-word test. The principal exposure metric was the total number of reported mobile phone voice calls per week. Linear regression models were fitted to cognitive test response times and accuracies. Age, gender, ethnicity, socio-economic status and handedness were fitted as covariates and standard errors were adjusted for clustering by school. The accuracy of working memory was poorer, reaction time for a simple learning task shorter, associative learning response time shorter and accuracy poorer in children reporting more mobile phone voice calls. There were no significant relationships between exposure and signal detection, movement monitoring or estimation. The completion time for Stroop word naming tasks was longer for those reporting more mobile phone voice calls. The findings were similar for total short message service (SMS, also known as text) messages per week, suggesting these cognitive changes were unlikely due to radiofrequency (RF) exposure. Overall, mobile phone use was associated with faster and less accurate responding to higher level cognitive tasks. These behaviours may have been learned through frequent use of a mobile phone.

Rising concern over the poor level of blood-pressure (BP) control among hypertensive patients has prompted searches for novel ways of managing hypertension. The objectives of this study were to develop and pilot-test a home BP... more

Rising concern over the poor level of blood-pressure (BP) control among hypertensive patients has prompted searches for novel ways of managing hypertension. The objectives of this study were to develop and pilot-test a home BP tele-management system that actively engages patients in the process of care.Phase 1 involved a series of focus-group meetings with patients and primary care providers to guide the system’s development. In Phase 2, 33 diabetic patients with uncontrolled ambulatory hypertension were enrolled in a 4-month pilot study, using a before-and-after design to assess its effectiveness in lowering BP, its acceptability to users, and the reliability of home BP measurements.The system, developed using commodity hardware, comprised a Bluetooth-enabled home BP monitor, a mobile phone to receive and transmit data, a central server for data processing, a fax-back system to send physicians’ reports, and a BP alerting system. In the pilot study, 24-h ambulatory BP fell by 11/5 (±13/7 SD) mm Hg (both P < .001), and BP control improved significantly. Substantially more home readings were received by the server than expected, based on the preset monitoring schedule. Of 42 BP alerts sent to patients, almost half (n = 20) were due to low BP. Physicians received no critical BP alerts. Patients perceived the system as acceptable and effective.The encouraging results of this study provide a strong rationale for a long-term, randomized, clinical trial to determine whether this home BP tele-management system improves BP control in the community among patients with uncontrolled hypertension.

The current study investigated forms of technology (phone calls, texts, email and Facebook) for maintaining contact with homeless youth over baseline, 1-week, 6-week, and 3-month follow-up interviews. The study combined quantitative... more

The current study investigated forms of technology (phone calls, texts, email and Facebook) for maintaining contact with homeless youth over baseline, 1-week, 6-week, and 3-month follow-up interviews. The study combined quantitative tracking of youths’ response patterns and open-ended interviews regarding youths’ preferred methods of communication. Results indicate that maintaining communication with homeless youth requires persistence, including frequent contact attempts over several days. Cell phone contacts (calls or texts) were most successful in communicating with youth, with e-mail and Facebook messaging useful when phones were lost or stolen. Youth who maintained contact were strikingly similar to youth who discontinued contact.

Objective: This research aims to identify the impact of text messaging on simulated driving performance. Background: In the past decade, a number of on-road, epidemiological, and simulator-based studies reported the negative impact of... more

Objective: This research aims to identify the impact of text messaging on simulated driving performance. Background: In the past decade, a number of on-road, epidemiological, and simulator-based studies reported the negative impact of talking on a cell phone on driving behavior. However, the impact of text messaging on simulated driving performance is still not fully understood. Method: Forty participants engaged in both a single task (driving) and a dual task (driving and text messaging) in a high-fidelity driving simulator. Results: Analysis of driving performance revealed that participants in the dual-task condition responded more slowly to the onset of braking lights and showed impairments in forward and lateral control compared with a driving-only condition. Moreover, text-messaging drivers were involved in more crashes than drivers not engaged in text messaging. Conclusion: Text messaging while driving has a negative impact on simulated driving performance. This negative impac...

Mobile phones have been shown effective in several public health domains. However, there are few evaluations of the effectiveness of mobile health in health promotion. Also, although many studies have referenced behavioral theory, none... more

Mobile phones have been shown effective in several public health domains. However, there are few evaluations of the effectiveness of mobile health in health promotion. Also, although many studies have referenced behavioral theory, none appears to have explicitly tested theoretical assumptions or demonstrated mechanisms of change. More robust evaluation models that incorporate theory and measurement of behavioral mediators are needed. As in all public health programs, mobile health operates within a social ecological context. For example, organizational- and individual-level programs seek to influence health and health care practices and individual health behaviors. New programs such as Text4baby demonstrate how theory and explicit testing of mediators can be incorporated in evaluations. There are challenges and opportunities facing mHealth evaluations given the nature of the mobile channel. Mobile communication is ubiquitous, available at all times and places, and thus experimental control is often difficult. Natural experiments using variation in dosage of mHealth and place- or location-based designs may increase experimental control. Text4baby is a text messaging program that provides prenatal care messages to pregnant women and new mothers. It uses a partnership model with health care facilities often serving as local implementation partners. The authors review a case example of the evaluation of Text4baby at Madigan Army Medical Center. Participants were randomized to usual prenatal care plus text messaging or usual care alone. The evaluation has a theoretical model of behavior change and measures mediators as well as behavioral outcomes. Results will inform how behavioral theory works within mobile health programs.

Mobile health applications offer unique opportunities for monitoring patient progress, providing education materials to patients and family members, receiving personalized prompts and support, collecting ecologically valid data, and using... more

Mobile health applications offer unique opportunities for monitoring patient progress, providing education materials to patients and family members, receiving personalized prompts and support, collecting ecologically valid data, and using self-management interventions when and where they are needed. Mobile health application services to mental illness have evidenced success in Western countries. However, they are still in the initial stage of development in China. The purpose of this paper is to identify needs for mobile health in China, present major mobile health products and technology in China, introduce mobile and digital psychiatric services, and discuss ethical issues and challenges in mobile health development in a country with the largest population in the world.

The trajectory from alcohol use to alcohol use disorders in adolescence is yet to be understood. Momentary sampling may assist in capturing... more

The trajectory from alcohol use to alcohol use disorders in adolescence is yet to be understood. Momentary sampling may assist in capturing &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;real-time&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39; data on young people&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s alcohol use and associated motivational factors. This paper aims to review the feasibility and usefulness of a mobile phone momentary sampling program to capture data about alcohol use and related behaviours. Two studies were conducted: a school-based study with 18 Year 9 and 11 students and a clinical study with eight high-risk adolescent drinkers. Participants answered questions about their daily activities, alcohol use, stressors and negative mood four times a day for 1 week using a mobile phone momentary sampling program. In the school-based study, 61% of participants reported drinking alcohol. On drinking days participants spent less time studying (14% vs. 26%), more time sleeping or resting (35% vs. 12%) and more time hanging out (21% vs. 11%) than on non-drinking days. In the high-risk sample, 88% of participants reported drinking alcohol. On drinking days, these participants spent a greater proportion of their waking time with their boyfriend or girlfriend (19.2% vs. 6%) and generally had higher negative mood than on non-drinking days. The current mobiletype program was well suited to capturing data on alcohol use in younger, school-attending adolescents. However, to capture alcohol use in older adolescents who lead less routine lives, it is necessary to make some amendments including targeting particular behaviours and symptoms. Recommendations for future studies are proposed.

This paper examines the effects of systematic and random errors in recall and of selection bias in case-control studies of mobile phone use and cancer. These sensitivity analyses are based on Monte-Carlo computer simulations and were... more

This paper examines the effects of systematic and random errors in recall and of selection bias in case-control studies of mobile phone use and cancer. These sensitivity analyses are based on Monte-Carlo computer simulations and were carried out within the INTERPHONE Study, an international collaborative case-control study in 13 countries. Recall error scenarios simulated plausible values of random and systematic, non-differential and differential recall errors in amount of mobile phone use reported by study subjects. Plausible values for the recall error were obtained from validation studies. Selection bias scenarios assumed varying selection probabilities for cases and controls, mobile phone users, and non-users. Where possible these selection probabilities were based on existing information from non-respondents in INTERPHONE. Simulations used exposure distributions based on existing INTERPHONE data and assumed varying levels of the true risk of brain cancer related to mobile phone use. Results suggest that random recall errors of plausible levels can lead to a large underestimation in the risk of brain cancer associated with mobile phone use. Random errors were found to have larger impact than plausible systematic errors. Differential errors in recall had very little additional impact in the presence of large random errors. Selection bias resulting from underselection of unexposed controls led to J-shaped exposure-response patterns, with risk apparently decreasing at low to moderate exposure levels. The present results, in conjunction with those of the validation studies conducted within the INTERPHONE study, will play an important role in the interpretation of existing and future case-control studies of mobile phone use and cancer risk, including the INTERPHONE study.

As use of handheld multimedia devices has exploded globally, safety experts have begun to consider the impact of distraction while talking, text-messaging, or listening to music on traffic safety. This study was designed to test how... more

As use of handheld multimedia devices has exploded globally, safety experts have begun to consider the impact of distraction while talking, text-messaging, or listening to music on traffic safety. This study was designed to test how talking on the phone, texting, and listening to music may influence pedestrian safety. 138 college students crossed an interactive, semi-immersive virtual pedestrian street. They were randomly assigned to one of four groups: crossing while talking on the phone, crossing while texting, crossing while listening to a personal music device, or crossing while undistracted. Participants distracted by music or texting were more likely to be hit by a vehicle in the virtual pedestrian environment than were undistracted participants. Participants in all three distracted groups were more likely to look away from the street environment (and look toward other places, such as their telephone or music device) than were undistracted participants. Findings were maintained after controlling for demographics, walking frequency, and media use frequency. Distraction from multimedia devices has a small but meaningful impact on college students’ pedestrian safety. Future research should consider the cognitive demands of pedestrian safety, and how those processes may be impacted by distraction. Policymakers might consider ways to protect distracted pedestrians from harm and to reduce the number of individuals crossing streets while distracted.► Talking, texting, or listening to music may impact college student pedestrian safety. ► 138 students randomly assigned to cross a virtual street undistracted or distracted. ► Music or texting distraction caused greater likelihood of collision with vehicles. ► All distracted individuals looked away from the street environment more often. ► Multimedia device distraction has small but meaningful impact on pedestrian safety.

Near field communication is a method for sending and receiving small amounts of data across very short distances wirelessly. This technology is already available in a number of mobile devices and has many possible uses, including... more

Near field communication is a method for sending and receiving small amounts of data across very short distances wirelessly. This technology is already available in a number of mobile devices and has many possible uses, including electronic payment, access control, and information exchange. This article will explain the basic principles of near field communication, discuss some of the ways it can be used in libraries, and explore some possible concerns with the technology. A list of resources for additional information is also included.

discusses how opinions on social media is effecting work place environments in both positive and negative ways. She also explains how the texting language has a big impact on College applications, high school papers, and emails.

L’article porte sur une rumeur, apparue au Nigeria en 2004 et largement diffusée en Afrique et en Asie, selon laquelle certains numéros de téléphone portable provoqueraient la mort subite de ceux qui répondent à l’appel. Après avoir... more

L’article porte sur une rumeur, apparue au Nigeria en 2004 et largement diffusée en Afrique et en Asie, selon laquelle certains numéros de téléphone portable provoqueraient la mort subite de ceux qui répondent à l’appel. Après avoir retracé la diffusion internationale de la rumeur, l’article montre que cette histoire de numéros tueurs exploite une inquiétude inhérente à la communication téléphonique : la menace des appels anonymes. Alors que les numéros tueurs font leur apparition en Afrique comme une forme inédite de sorcellerie, en Asie, cette version sorcellaire cède la place à une nouvelle variante : un virus téléphonique serait à l’origine du phénomène. L’article propose en définitive une épidémiologie culturelle de la rumeur attentive aux circonstances locales qui permettent de rendre compte de ses variantes régionales, mais aussi aux facteurs plus généraux qui expliquent sa diffusion et sa stabilité relative à l’échelle internationale.