Scientists Explain Why Cell Phone Calls are Annoying

Fri, 21/05/2010 - 4:07pm — CellAdmin

Scientists say they may have found why overhearing cell phone calls can be so annoying -- because only half of the conversation is heard, which draws more concentration than listening to two-way dialogue.

"People are often more irritated by nearby cell phone conversations rather than conversations between two people who are physically present," said Lauren Emberson, a co-author of the study. "We have less control to move away our attention from half a conversation than when listening to a dialogue."

Researchers at Cornell University conducted a series of tests to gauge people's reactions when exposed to silence, a monologue, a two-way conversation or half of a conversation, also called a "halfalogue." Participants were then asked to perform various cognitive tests while exposed to the three background noises or silence.

The findings showed that people only made mistakes when listening to halfalogues.

"These results suggest that a driver's attention can be impaired by a passenger's cell phone conversation," Emberson said. "We believe this finding helps reveal how we understand language in conversation."

The study, to be published in Psychological Science, a monthly scientific journal, concluded that people who hear snippets of conversation will attempt to predict what is going to be said next.

"When you hear half of a conversation, you get less information and you can't predict as well," Emberson said. "It requires more attention."

An estimated 4.6 billion people use mobile phones, or about two-thirds of the world's population.

Source: (www.mobiledia.com)