Evaluation of the Effects of Mobile Phone Usage on Selected Executive Functions, Age and Gender in Healthy Young Adults

Abstract

Introduction: Despite a huge spike in smartphone usage, little is understood about whether increased usage affects executive functioning (EF) and the range of mental processes that aid goal attainment. Aim: Evaluation of the effects of mobile phone usage on selected executive functions, age and gender in healthy young adults. Methodology: A total of 500 students randomly selected from the University of Port-Harcourt were recruited into the study. Different ages specified by the respondents through structural. Questionnaires were used. Data obtained from the retrieved questionnaire were analyzed using multiple STATGRAPHICS for the descriptive statistics. While SPSS was used for the inferential statistics. Results: There was no significant association between phone usage/ownership and working memory, attention capacity, time management, flexibility and stress tolerance. The result however showed that, smart phone users showed less working memory, higher attention capacity, higher time management ability, more flexibility, less stress tolerance than non-smart phone users. Male respondents showed better attention capacity, time management ability and stress tolerance than the female while respondents above 18years showed better working memory, more attention capacity, time management ability and more flexibility than those ≤18years. Conclusion: Smart phone users were found to have challenges with some executive functions, particularly, stress tolerance and working memory.