The effect of using mobile phone on medical students' mental focus in respond to knowledge questions

Abstract

Background: Today, using the mobile phone has grown widely. This massive growth captures the attention of researchers on biological effects of the mobile phone. Evidences have shown that the excessive use of mobile phone has negative impact on the physical and psychological health of users. Aims: The aim is to evaluate the effect of using mobile phones on the students' mental focus when they answer to general scientific questions, simultaneously in Ahvaz, Iran. Materials and Methods: In this practical study, a group of 60 students in the field of health information technology were participated. Participants were evaluated to verify the same level of information homogeneity and the ability of using a mobile phone. Therefore, the students were asked at the first step to respond to general information questions showed in computer monitor. Then, a message including 6–9 words by mobile phone was typed by the subjects while the typing time was registered. Next, they were asked to send a message while answering the questions showed on the monitor screen of the computers, simultaneously. At this step the difference between response accuracy to questions of the graphical test in two phases was analyzed. Results: The study results showed that the average scores of the correct response to graphical test, as typing a text on the mobile phone, was (26.8000) and the average scores of correct response to graphical test without typing a text on mobile phone was (30.2000). Moreover, the average scores when typing a text on mobile phone was 74.40 while the average scores for typing a text on the mobile phone and responding to graphics test, simultaneously was 194.12. Conclusions: The results showed that using the mobile phone has a negative impact on the selected students' performance to respond simultaneously to the general scientific questions.