Smartphones and Cognition: A Review of Research Exploring the Links between Mobile Technology Habits and Cognitive Functioning
By Henry H. Wilmer, Lauren E. Sherman, Jason M. Chein. Frontiers in Psychology, 2017
628 citations recorded by the source corpus.
While smartphones and related mobile technologies are recognized as flexible and powerful tools that, when used prudently, can augment human cognition, there is also a growing perception that habitual involvement with these devices may have a negative and lasting impact on users’ ability to think, remember, pay attention, and regulate emotion. The present review considers an intensifying, though still limited, area of research exploring the potential cognitive impacts of smartphone-related habits, and seeks to determine in which domains of functioning there is accruing evidence of a significant relationship between smartphone technology and cognitive performance, and in which domains the scientific literature is not yet mature enough to endorse any firm conclusions. We focus our review primarily on three facets of cognition that are clearly implicated in public discourse regarding the impacts of mobile technology – attention, memory, and delay of gratification – and then consider evidence regarding the broader relationships between smartphone habits and everyday cognitive functioning. Along the way, we highlight compelling findings, discuss limitations with respect to empirical methodology and interpretation, and offer suggestions for how the field might progress toward a more coherent and robust area of scientific inquiry.
Subfields: Information Systems and Management, Sociology and Political Science
View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/267375e2b17e53afe1fc8b9b15b25820c7b0133a
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Citations in the corpus
- How Does the Use of Information Communication Technology Affect Individuals? A Work Design Perspective (2020, background): “Moreover, we observed that, while ICT has the potential to reduce job demands, it could also reduce demands excessively (Wilmer et al., 2017).”
- The Smartphone as a Pacifying Technology (2020, positive): “In recent years, an emerging body of academic litera-ture—and much popular press—has discussed the relationship that people seem to develop with their smartphone (Alter 2017; Fullwood et al. 2017; Melumad, Inman, and Pham 2019; Wilmer, Sherman, and Chein 2017).”
- Determinants of Intention to Use ChatGPT for Educational Purposes: Findings from PLS-SEM and fsQCA (2023, neutral): “Adopting new technology could interrupt individuals ’ typical behaviours (Wilmer et al., 2017).”
- The Role of Methodological Choices in the Effects of Experimental Exposure to Simulated Natural Landscapes on Human Health and Cognitive Performance: A Systematic Review (2020, background): “The connectivity that is afforded by mobile devices can decrease the attentional capacities of its users (Gazzaley & Rosen, 2016; Wilmer et al., 2017).”