Mobile phones: The effect of its presence on learning and memory

Our aim was to examine the effect of mobile phone’s presence on learning and memory among undergraduates. A total of 119 undergraduates completed a memory task and the Smartphone Addiction Scale (SAS). As predicted, those without phones had higher recall accuracy compared to those with phones. Results showed a significant negative relationship between phone conscious thought and memory recall but not for SAS and memory recall. Phone conscious thought significantly predicted memory accuracy. We found that the presence of a phone and high phone conscious thought affects one’s memory learning and recall, indicating the negative effect of a mobile phone proximity to our learning and memory.