Can the mere knowledge of having received a cell phone notification be distracting?

CAN THE MERE KNOWLEDGE OF HAVING RECEIVED A CELL PHONE NOTIFICATION BE DISTRACTING? We assessed this possibility by sending participants either phone calls or text messages while they completed a sustained attention task. SART Response Task) (Sustained Attention to "Press the button whenever a number is displayed except if that number is 3." COMMISSION ERROR When a participant presses 5 the button when 3 is shown. 250 ms 900 ms 3 250 ms 9 900 ms Don't press the button! 250 ms Participants were randomly divided into 3 groups: GROUP BLOCK 1 BLOCK 2 Call SART SART + Control SART SART SMS SART SART + = Were sent phone calls Were sent text messages %3D Participants in the Call and SMS groups were sent calls or text messages while they completed the second block of the SART. Participants were unaware that the calls and text Participants were excluded from the data messages were from us. analysis if they looked at their phone. From BLOCKS 1 to 2, the probability of making a commission errror increased by: 28% 7% 23% Control So, can the mere knowledge of having received a cell phone notification be distracting? YES! SOURCE: Stothart, C., Mitchum, A., & Yehnert, C. (2015). The attentional cost of receiving a cell phone notification. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1037/xhp0000100 http://psycnet.apa.org/psycinfo/2015-28923-001/ LO