Did you see the unicycling clown? Inattentional blindness while walking and talking on a cell phone

We investigated the effects of divided attention during walking. Individuals were classified based on whether they were walking while talking on a cell phone, listening to an MP3 player, walking without any electronics or walking in a pair. In the first study, we found that cell phone users walked m...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied cognitive psychology 2010-07, Vol.24 (5), p.597-607
Main Authors: Hyman Jr, Ira E., Boss, S. Matthew, Wise, Breanne M., McKenzie, Kira E., Caggiano, Jenna M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied psychology
Biological and medical sciences
Blindness
Cellular telephones
Cognition & reasoning
Cognitive ability
Cognitive psychology
Effects
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Listening
Miscellaneous
Mobile phones
Notices
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Talking
Walking
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Summary:We investigated the effects of divided attention during walking. Individuals were classified based on whether they were walking while talking on a cell phone, listening to an MP3 player, walking without any electronics or walking in a pair. In the first study, we found that cell phone users walked more slowly, changed directions more frequently, and were less likely to acknowledge other people than individuals in the other conditions. In the second study, we found that cell phone users were less likely to notice an unusual activity along their walking route (a unicycling clown). Cell phone usage may cause inattentional blindness even during a simple activity that should require few cognitive resources. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
ISSN:0888-4080
1099-0720
1099-0720
DOI:10.1002/acp.1638