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July 13, 2015 05:45 pm GMT

Push notifications: Just as distracting as a phone call

Cell-phone

Fifteen years ago, cell phones announced their presence with a long and sometimes silly ring. Now, our devices are less likely to ring than emit a single beep or boop. Even a muted vibration might indicate a text or a new score or a Facebook message.

A new study from three researchers at Florida State University suggests that merely receiving a push notification is as distracting as responding to a text message or a phone call.

The study asked more than 150 students to complete a well-known test of sustained attentional performance. For that test, subjects are shown a series of single digits on a screen. A new digit is displayed about every second. Students are supposed to tap the keyboard every time the digit changes, unless the new digit is 3. (Though it's not interactive, you can see a version of this test on YouTube.) Everyone took the test twice: the first time, they did it uninterrupted by their devices; the second time, assistants placed calls or texts to some of the students' phones. Read more...

More about Mobile Phone, Communication, Text Message, Cellphones, and Push Notifications

Original Link: http://feeds.mashable.com/~r/mashable/tech/~3/uTcsSs0ZLuI/

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