Technological Media and Human Behavior

Previous studies have looked at technology and media such as television and video games affecting human behavior (Christakis, Zimmerman, DiGiuseppe & McCarty, 2004). There is a gap in the research, though, on smartphone usage and attention. Nearly 75 percent of the United States population owns a smartphone (eMarketer, 2018), so it is important to explore that specific type of media and the possible effects it has on human behavior. This present study focuses on smartphone addiction and attention span. College students will be asked to come into the psychology computer lab and complete a computerized attention task, followed by a brief survey. They will be randomly assigned to a group that is either asked to give up their cell phones when they walk into the room, or a group that may have their phones with them. It is hypothesized that there will be a negative correlation between smartphone use and attention span, and that individuals in groups that are asked to give up their phones will have lower attention spans