Does Cell Phone Usage Affect Reaction Time?

Overview

Objectives/Goals The objective of this project is to figure out if cell phone usage by a vehicle's driver affects his or her reaction time, thus impairing driver performance and compromising safety. Methods/Materials Reaction timer/car simulator. Chair (for subject) and table. Hand-held cell phone. Hands-free cell phone. 20 participants between ages of 20-50. Questions/topics to engage participants in conversation over the phone. Assistant to ask questions on cell phone. For my control, I tested each participant's reaction time with no cell phone. Then I would test their reaction time with hand-held and hands-free cell phones. Three trials for each and then I would record their times and find the average. Results All participants' reaction time was impaired by usage of hand-held and hands-free cell phones as compared to when no cell phone was being used. Reaction time took longer with hand-held than hands-free cell phones. Conclusions/Discussion Cell phone usage adds to a driver's reaction time. A person's nervous system cannot concentrate both on the road and on a conversation with full attention. This is significant in that the slightest impairment of a driver's ability can lead to accidents or even death. This conclusion is in line with my original hypothesis.

Competition history

• CSEF 2004 Behavioral Sciences · Entry J0312

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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