Why cell phone usage while studying is bad for you

1. The evidence against
cell phone use
during study time

2. Exhibit A
Our brains are NOT
designed for multi-tasking.

3. “To err is human ….”
“individuals make pretty bad
decisions — decisions they would not
have made if they had paid full
attention and possessed complete
information, unlimited cognitive
abilities, and complete self-control.”
Thaler & Sunstein, Nudge

4. Cognitive Psychology: Dual Process Theory
We can think of our brains as having
two systems:
● a fast, intuitive, lazy system
● A slow, rational, diligent system
(This is a METAPHOR used to understand
the results of scientific studies)

5. Dual Process Theory
Automatic System 1 Reflective System 2
Uncontrolled Controlled
Effortless Effortful
Associative Deductive
Fast Slow
Unconscious Self-aware
Skilled Rule-following
Thaler & Sunstein, Nudge

6. Stroop Test
On the following slide, try to say the
colour of the text, instead of the
written word.

8. Stroop Test
Lesson: Our automatic System 1
response can impede System 2
processing. We really need to focus to
complete complex tasks.

9. Add 1 test
● Work in pairs
● One person will look at the screen, and read a
series of 4 digits (ex. 6789), keeping a steady
beat (one digit per second)
● The other person will wait one beat, and then
repeat the 4 digits, adding 1 to each (ex. 7890)
● You must keep a steady beat
● If this is too easy, try adding 3 to each digit!

10. Add 1
4738 6744 2437 1287 9884
9237 1943 9045 8734 0423
1957 0558 0342 8445 1056
3687 2783 1655 2853 2893
3476 2684 1175 1238 1754
9461 1198 9534 9642 0524

11. Add 1 Test
Lesson: Our System 2 has limits to how
much it can process. It is incredibly
easy to overload our brains, even if we
focus.

12. Selective Attention Test
Watch the following video(click the
picture):

13. Selective Attention Test
Lesson: When we engage system 2
and focus on one thing, we
completely miss everything else!

14. Conclusion
Cell phones demand our full attention, even
when we are using them for trivial
purposes. It is impossible to retain the
information presented in class (in other
words, to learn) if we are not fully present.

15. Exhibit B
Social media and app
designers use brain
research to take advantage
of you.

16. Nomophobia (click for article):
addiction to cell phone

17. How does this work?
“Dopamine is a chemical produced by our brains that plays a
starring role in motivating behavior. It gets released when we
take a bite of delicious food, after we exercise, and,
importantly, when we have successful social interactions. In
an evolutionary context, it rewards us for beneficial behaviors
and motivates us to repeat them.”
Source: Dopamine, Smartphones and You. Trevor Haynes, Harvard Medical School.
http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2018/dopamine-smartphones-battle-time/

18. “Every time a response to
a stimulus results in a
reward, these associations
become stronger through
a process called long-term
potentiation. This process
strengthens frequently
used connections
between brain cells called
neurons by increasing the
intensity at which they respond to particular stimuli. Although not as intense as
hit of cocaine, positive social stimuli will similarly result in a release of
dopamine, reinforcing whatever behavior preceded it. ”
Source: Dopamine, Smartphones and You. Trevor Haynes, Harvard Medical School. http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2018/dopamine-smartphones-battle-time/

19. Conditioning:
“if we perceive a reward to be delivered at
random, and if checking for the reward comes
at little cost, we end up checking habitually
(e.g. gambling addiction).”
Source: Dopamine, Smartphones and You. Trevor Haynes, Harvard Medical School.
http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2018/dopamine-smartphones-battle-time/

20. Do you think the makers of
“free” social media apps and
games are benevolent? What
do they want from you?

21. Conclusion
Nothing is free. The more time you spend
on an app, the more money someone else
is making. You are being trained to be an
addict. Even worse, if you’re doing this
instead of school work, then you are wasting
your opportunity to better yourself.

22. Who do you want to become?
“A man* who procrastinates in his choosing will inevitably
have his choice made for him by circumstance.”
― Hunter S. Thompson, The Proud Highway: Saga of a Desperate Southern
Gentleman, 1955-1967
*Note: this holds true for all sexes and genders!