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A preliminary examination of cell phone use and helping behavior.

Psychological reports · 2013 · Harm · Low evidence

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HarmLow evidencePaper 3081

In an observed helping scenario, 9% of participants who were talking on a cell phone offered help versus 72% of participants who were not talking on a cell phone. The authors conclude that cell phone use affects helping behavior.

Study snapshot

PublicationPsychological reports · 2013
Study typeother
Reported directionHarm
Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Use of a cell phone reduces attention and increases response times. 62 people (30 men, 32 women) were confronted with a confederate wearing a large leg brace, who dropped a stack of magazines and feigned difficulty retrieving them. Among the 33 people who talked on their cell phones only 9% offered their help, whereas among the 29 people who did not talk on their cell phones, 72% offered help. The use of cell phones affects helping behavior.

Machine Enhanced Logic

AI evidence extraction

Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.

Study typeother
Effect directionharm
Population62 people (30 men, 32 women)
Sample size62
ExposureNot supplied
Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

In an observed helping scenario, 9% of participants who were talking on a cell phone offered help versus 72% of participants who were not talking on a cell phone. The authors conclude that cell phone use affects helping behavior.

Outcomes measured

  • helping behavior (offering help to a confederate)

Limitations

  • No EMF exposure metrics reported (e.g., frequency, SAR).
  • Study design details (randomization, setting, blinding) not described in the abstract.
  • Outcome is behavioral and may reflect distraction/attention effects rather than EMF-specific effects.
View raw extracted JSON
{
  "study_type": "other",
  "exposure": {
    "band": null,
    "source": "mobile phone",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": null
  },
  "population": "62 people (30 men, 32 women)",
  "sample_size": 62,
  "outcomes": [
    "helping behavior (offering help to a confederate)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "In an observed helping scenario, 9% of participants who were talking on a cell phone offered help versus 72% of participants who were not talking on a cell phone. The authors conclude that cell phone use affects helping behavior.",
  "effect_direction": "harm",
  "limitations": [
    "No EMF exposure metrics reported (e.g., frequency, SAR).",
    "Study design details (randomization, setting, blinding) not described in the abstract.",
    "Outcome is behavioral and may reflect distraction/attention effects rather than EMF-specific effects."
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "cell phone use",
    "mobile phone",
    "attention",
    "response time",
    "helping behavior",
    "prosocial behavior",
    "distraction"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": []
}
AI can be wrong. Always verify against the paper.

AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract and metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This material is for informational purposes and is not medical advice.

Identifiers and source

DOI: 10.2466/17.21.pr0.113x31z4
PubMed: 24693829

Read the original paper →

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