Differential Associations between Risky Cell-Phone Behaviors and Discounting Types
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Differential Associations between Risky Cell-Phone Behaviors and Discounting Types Paul Romanowich 1
&
Takeharu Igaki 2 & Naoki Yamagishi 3 & Tyler Norman 4
Accepted: 9 November 2020 # Association for Behavior Analysis International 2020
Abstract As cell-phone use increases, the probability for individuals to engage in risky behaviors while using cell phones also increases. Previous studies have shown significant positive associations between increasing risky behaviors while using cellphones (i.e., texting while driving [TWD] and using smartphones while walking [USWW]) and increased delay discounting rates. These participant samples were obtained either in the United States or Japan and did not measure both risky behaviors. The present study measured both self-reported TWD and USWW for 456 U.S. college participants to determine whether these risky cellphone behaviors were associated with each other, and/or with increased delay and social discounting rates. Results indicated that self-reported TWD and USWW were significantly positively associated with each other (r = 0.42). Neither TWD nor USWW were associated with delay discounting rates. However, increased TWD was significantly related to increasing social discounting rates. USWW was not significantly associated with increased social discounting rates. These results show differential associations between risky behaviors while using cell phones and different discounting measures (delay and social). In addition, USWW rates were about two times larger for U.S. participants, relative to a previous Japanese sample, suggesting that culture and perceived risk may affect subsequent associations with discounting rates. Keywords Delay discounting . Impulsiveness . Sharing . Social discounting . Texting
Introduction Cell-phone use is virtually universal in the United States— approximately 96% of adults in the United States own a cell phone in 2019 (Pew Research Center, 2019). An increasing number of individuals (81%) own a smartphone, which can connect to the internet and provide almost constant online access. Unfortunately, this constant phone and internet access Funding from a UTSA INTRA Grant to Paul Romanowich was used for data collection and analysis. * Paul Romanowich [email protected] 1
Department of Psychology, Gonzaga University, 502 East Boone Avenue, Spokane, WA 99258, USA
2
Faculty of Distribution and Logistics Systems, Ryutsu Keizai University, Matsudo-shi, Chiba-ken, Japan
3
Department of Sociology, Ryutsu Keizai University, 3-2-1 Shin-Matsudo, Matsudo-shi, Chiba-ken, Japan
4
Department of Psychology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
means that individuals are also prone to using these devices in risky situations, such as while operating a vehicle or walking in/around busy intersections. As for driving, this type of distracted driving using a text or other smartphone functions accounted for 6%–16% of vehicle accidents in 2013 (National Safety Council, 2015). Younger distracted drivers (15–29 years old)
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