Article Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Article Analysis - Essay Example ird hypothesis for this study was that: Attentional factors, rather than peripheral factors are the major contributing factors to accidents arising from drivers using the cell phone while driving (Strayer & Jonson, 2001). The first experiment testing the effect of hands-free cellular phone communication on the interruption of driving applied a sample of 48 participants, all of them students. The sample comprised a balanced gender of 24 male students and 24 female students (Strayer & Jonson, 2001). In the additional control condition study, which sought to assess the effect of listening to a selected passage from a book on tape to creating a dual-task condition, the experiment applied a sample of 20 participants, who were also gender balanced, with 10 male students and 10 female students participating. The second experiment, which entailed the assessment of the specific localized source of interference in driving while using cell phone, was undertaken using a sample of 24 students, who were gender balanced, with 12 male students and 12 female students in participation (Strayer & Jonson, 2001). The threats to validity identifiable in this study include the fact that; the controlled condition experiment for assessing the dual-task interference tried to mimic the real world situation through applying broadcasts involving a mixture of music and speech (Strayer & Jonson, 2001). Nevertheless, such mimicking cannot derive similar results like in a real world situation, considering that in the controlled condition, the elements of interference are just the music and speech broadcasts, while in the real world situation, the elements of interference are much more, sight included. Therefore, the controlled condition may not derive completely valid results. The other aspect that puts the validity of the experiments into question is that; the study involved the application of simulated driving (Strayer & Jonson, 2001). This is not similar to a natural driving setting, thus