Elsevier

Gait & Posture

Volume 35, Issue 4, April 2012, Pages 688-690
Gait & Posture

Short communication
Cell phones change the way we walk

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gaitpost.2011.12.005Get rights and content

Abstract

Cell phone use among pedestrians leads to increased cognitive distraction, reduced situation awareness and increases in unsafe behavior. Performing a dual-task, such as talking or texting with a cell phone while walking, may interfere with working memory and result in walking errors. At baseline, thirty-three participants visually located a target 8 m ahead; then vision was occluded and they were instructed to walk to the remembered target. One week later participants were assigned to either walk, walk while talking on a cell phone, or walk while texting on a cell phone toward the target with vision occluded. Duration and final location of the heel were noted. Linear distance traveled, lateral angular deviation from the start line, and gait velocity were derived. Changes from baseline to testing were analyzed with paired t-tests. Participants engaged in cell phone use presented with significant reductions in gait velocity (texting: 33% reduction, p = 0.01; talking: 16% reduction, p = 0.02). Moreover, participants who were texting while walking demonstrated a 61% increase in lateral deviation (p = 0.04) and 13% increase in linear distance traveled (p = 0.03). These results suggest that the dual-task of walking while using a cell phone impacts executive function and working memory and influences gait to such a degree that it may compromise safety. Importantly, comparison of the two cell phone conditions demonstrates texting creates a significantly greater interference effect on walking than talking on a cell phone.

Highlights

► While walking and using a cell phone is common, effects on gait are unclear. ► We investigated if walking errors occur when talking or texting on a cell phone. ► Gait velocity is reduced when using a cell phone while talking or texting. ► Navigational errors occur when texting while walking. ► Texting while walking produces greater interference than talking on a cell phone.

Introduction

While the dangers of cell phone use when driving dominate public discussion, concerns have recently been raised about the effects talking and texting may have on walking. Cell phone use among pedestrians leads to increased cognitive distraction, reduced situation awareness (SA) and increases in unsafe behavior leading to injury and death [1], [2], [3], [4], [5]. Results from the few studies conducted on cell phone use while walking show that cell phone users recall fewer objects when conversing [1], walk slower [4] and are more unsafe when crossing a street [1].

Although well-practiced, gait is not automatic; instead, cognitive areas of executive function and attention are active [6], [7]. Using dual-task methodology and evaluating performance changes, we can assess the extent of the cognitive demand. Successful performance of walking while using a cell phone requires cognitive and motor abilities and an appropriate division of attention to each. Engaging in a dual-task, such as talking or texting while walking, may interfere with working memory and result in walking errors. To our knowledge, this is the first time a direct examination of gait during talking and texting has been undertaken. We propose that cell phone use will negatively influence walking, and that the more novel task of texting while walking will lead to greater disruptions in gait. We discuss our findings in relation to pedestrian safety and models of control underlying memory and attention.

Section snippets

Subjects

Thirty-three healthy participants (13 male, mean age = 26 (SD 4)) were randomly assigned (11 per group) to either walk, walk while talking on a cell phone (TALK), or walk while texting on a cell phone (TEXT). All participants reported owning a cell phone and familiarity with texting. Approval from the Institutional Review Board at Stony Brook University was obtained.

Protocol

To assess how gait is affected by cell phone use, participants initially completed a baseline assessment. During baseline

Results

This study demonstrates that walking while texting or talking on a cell phone leads to gait disruptions when navigating toward a remembered target and highlights the greater influence of texting. At baseline, no significant differences were found between the groups for velocity (p = 0.66), lateral deviation (p = 0.36), or linear distance (p = 0.98). When comparing baseline to testing, the TEXT group had a 33% reduction (7.0 vs. 4.7 m/s, p = 0.01) and the TALK group a 16% reduction (7.5 vs. 6.3 m/s, p = 

Discussion

These results show that texting or talking on mobile devices influences walking. Similar to findings by Hyman et al. [9], we demonstrated that participants engaged in cell phone use were unable to maintain walking speed or retain accurate spatial information suggesting an inability to adequately divide their attention between two tasks. We theorize that the addition of texting or talking while walking with vision occluded increased the demands placed on the working memory system resulting in

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

References (11)

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