How phone distraction effects memory recall

Overview

This science fair project investigated whether cellphone distraction affects short-term memory recall. The experiment involved two groups of participants: one group completed the task without any distractions, while the other group was exposed to cellphone use as distraction during the test. Each participant were read a list of 10 words one time. Immediately afterward, they were asked to recall and write down as many words as they could remember. The performance of the two groups was then compared based on the number of correctly recalled words. The results showed that participants who were distracted by cellphones generally recalled fewer words than those who completed the task without any distractions. This suggests that cellphone use can negatively impact attention and memory recall, even during simple tasks. Overall, the experiment supports idea that minimizing distractions, especially from cellphones, can improve memory performance and focus.

Awards (1)

• Selected for CWSF 2026

Competition history

• CWSF 2026 Health & Wellness

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