• DOI:10.1111/1467-9280.00386
• Corpus ID: 15730996

Driven to Distraction: Dual-Task Studies of Simulated Driving and Conversing on a Cellular Telephone

@article{Strayer2001DrivenTD,
  title={Driven to Distraction: Dual-Task Studies of Simulated Driving and Conversing on a Cellular Telephone},
  author={David L. Strayer and William A. Johnston},
  journal={Psychological Science},
  year={2001},
  volume={12},
  pages={462 - 466}
}

• David L. Strayer, W. Johnston
• Published 1 November 2001
• Psychology
• Psychological Science

Dual-task studies assessed the effects of cellular-phone conversations on performance of a simulated driving task. Performance was not disrupted by listening to radio broadcasts or listening to a book on tape. Nor was it disrupted by a continuous shadowing task using a handheld phone, ruling out, in this case, dual-task interpretations associated with holding the phone, listening, or speaking. However, significant interference was observed in a word-generation variant of the shadowing task, and this deficit increased with the difficulty of driving. Moreover, unconstrained conversations using either a handheld or a hands-free cell phone resulted in a twofold increase in the failure to detect simulated traffic signals and slower reactions to those signals that were detected. We suggest that cellular-phone use disrupts performance by diverting attention to an engaging cognitive context other than the one immediately associated with driving.