Why shouldn't a mobile phone be used while driving?

People think that talking on a mobile phone while driving doesn't seem safe, but what happens in the brain when it combines these two activities doesn't prove it.

A work by psychologists at the University of South Carolina in the journal Experimental Psychology provides more about why language - speaking and listening, including on cell phones - interferes with visual activities, like driving.

In two different experiments, the psychologist, Dr. Amit Almor discovered that intending to speak and speak requires more brain resources than listening.'We measure their concentration and find that the subject is four times more distracting when he or she intends to speak or speak than when they are listening . People can ignore their ears or focus again if they want to listen. '

An experiment requires participants to detect images on a screen, and the second experiment requires participants to use a computer mouse to follow a fast-moving target on the screen. In both of these experiments, participants made requests while listening to other recorded stories and reacting to stories.

Almor calls this finding 'very solid' and hopes it will be more robust in terms of actual conversation. He and Tim Boiteau, a doctoral student in linguistics, have repeated the experiment with 20 pairs of friends to engage in real conversation while still completing visual requirements. Results are being compiled this summer.

People think that talking on a mobile phone while driving doesn't seem safe, but what happens in the brain when it combines these two activities doesn't prove it.(Photo: iStockphoto / Dennis Oblander)

'I hope this effect is stronger and more dynamic because in real conversation conditions, everyone needs to contribute. In conversation, we compete with each other. I think the greater the need to speak, the higher the focus on visual requirements. '

In both experiments, Almor placed people involved in a surround environment with surround sound where the speakers were hidden and the voice was moved from front to back or to the sides.

Almor found that participants could complete the visual task right in front of their eyes easily when the voice was also ahead. This effect, though not as clear as the difference between being prepared to speak or speaking and listening, also makes it easier to perform a language activity and visual activity at the same time when these tasks are Put together a physical and cognitive place .

'Or people are familiar with face-to-face communication or when they engage in linguistic activities, they create a mental presentation in their minds and place their voices somewhere in space. In this case, the space is right in front of them, which suggests it will be easier if all things require concentration to be in the same place. '

The above findings will be useful for the development of new technologies. In the case of cars, the built-in phone speaker can play the speaker's voice from the front so that it occupies the same spot as the driver. The same can be applied to remote classroom tutorials, PowerPoint presentations and in military training or pilot training.

Almor's findings are particularly relevant to recent figures.

The National Traffic Safety Commission (NHTSA) reported in April that 25% of car accidents were due to distraction. A survey conducted by Nationwide Mutual Insurance in 2007 showed that 73% of drivers talk on the phone while driving. According to the Mobile Telecommunications Association and the Internet, as long as mobile phone sales hit 254 million in February 2008 compared to 4.3 million in 1990, researchers have reason to study the brain and How talking / listening to cell phones will interfere with driving.