Effects of a cell phone conversation on cognitive processing performances.

Background: The ability to apportion cognitive resources to process multiple visual and auditory stimuli is essential for human communication in competing conditions.

Purpose: The purpose of the current research was to examine the effects of a cell phone conversation on a battery of cognitive tests, using both timing (RT) and accuracy (A') as dependent measures.

Research Design: A repeated measures ANOVA was conducted.

The effects of discriminate message interventions on behavioral intentions to engage in physical activities.

Objective: The authors attempt to show the usefulness of discriminate messages designed to increase college students' intentions to engage in physical activities.

Participants: The authors selected a sample of undergraduate students enrolled in communication courses at a university in the southeastern United States for a baseline online survey (n=683) and an experiment (n=99).

Methods: The authors selected discriminate beliefs with highest regression weights and sizable effect size with behavioral intention to build messages for classroom intervention.

Effects of auditory distraction on cognitive processing of young adults.

Objective: The effects of interference, competition, and distraction on cognitive processing are unclearly understood, particularly regarding type and intensity of auditory distraction across a variety of cognitive processing tasks.

Method: The purpose of this investigation was to report two experiments that sought to explore the effects of types of distraction (4-talker babble; word repetition; combined 4-talker babble with word repetition) when compared to a control condition of quiet on a range of computerized measures (simple reaction time; choice reaction time; serial pattern matching; lexical decision-making; visual selective attention; response reversal and rapid visual scanning; and form discrimination) in 40 young adults (Experiment 1).

Results: Few distraction effects were found on cognitive processing at the comfortable loudness level (40dB SL).

The effects of auditory distraction on visual cognitive performance in multiple sclerosis.

Background: A subset of individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) endures degradation of cognitive function during disease progression. The purpose of this study was to compare visual cognitive reaction time performance during three conditions of auditory distraction (four-talker babble; word repetition; babble combined with word repetition) to a quiet, undistracted condition.

Methods: Twenty-two patients with mild relapsing-remitting MS (Expanded Disability Status Scale mean of 3.