A preliminary examination of cell phone use and helping behavior.

PAPER pubmed Psychological reports 2013 Other Effect: harm Evidence: Low

Read original paper → DOI: 10.2466/17.21.pr0.113x31z4 PMID: 24693829 Evidence Lab

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.

AI evidence extraction

At a glance

Study type

Other

Effect direction

harm

Population

62 people (30 men, 32 women)

Sample size

Exposure

mobile phone

Evidence strength

Low

Confidence: 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": 0.7399999999999999911182158029987476766109466552734375,
    "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/metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This content is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice.

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