<A>SAMPLE ANSWER
<C>Question 5. How desirable is it to prohibit the use of cell phones by drivers?
The use of cell phones while driving has become a much contested issue. With today’s gadgets and applications, using a cell phone covers quite an array of behaviors: talking while holding the phone to one’s ear (i.e., handheld), talking using a hands-free adaptive device, reading a text or email message, typing and sending a text or email message, playing games, taking photos, finding routes via GPS, and so on. The majority of discussion has focused on hands-free versus handheld phone conversations. Hands-free usage is purported to be a less dangerous option, because the driver has both hands available to steer and signal. However, any attention taken away from the primary task of driving can be dangerous.
Many people still hold the misconception that they can multitask—perform two or more tasks simultaneously—without impairment to performance on any of the tasks. Actually, multitasking performance depends on the nature of each individual task as well as the amount of practice the individual has performing each task. First, there is a distinction between automatic and controlled processes. Automatic processes require very little attentional resources, whereas controlled processes take much cognitive effort. Basic perceptual processes are automatic, but complex tasks like driving a vehicle or having a conversation involve controlled processes. Second, the amount of practice can determine how much cognitive effort a task takes. Practice can help improve speed and accuracy on single tasks (Shiffrin & Schneider, 1977) but cannot help overcome the psychological refractory period, which accounts for impaired performance in dual-tasking (Pashler, 1993). Unfortunately, most people mistakenly believe that the more practiced they are at driving, the less affected they are by interference from other complex tasks. In reality, this is rarely the case (Watson & Strayer, 2010).
More often, it is the case that driving while distracted is risky. One study showed that more than four times as many accidents involved drivers conducting phone calls, either hands-free or handheld, than those not using a cell phone (RedelmeierTibshirani, 1997). A meta-analysis done by Caird et al. (2008) showed that cell phone usage increased drivers’ reaction times by 250 milliseconds. A quarter of a second may not seem like a lot, but with a vehicle in motion, that extra time to respond can mean traveling an extra 5 to 25 feet. In other words, it can be the difference between stopping safely and hitting another vehicle or a pedestrian.
One key problem is that people do not feel like their driving is impaired when they are talking on the phone. This just illustrates that introspection is not an ideal way to assess cognitive processes. Evidence from experimental cognitive psychology and cognitive neuropsychology shows that driving while using a cell phone causes delayed reaction times and decreased attention, which can lead to accidents. Ideally, all drivers would consider the responsibility of safely operating a vehicle weighted against the importance of other tasks they want to perform at the same time.