Skip to main content

Does the type of device you use affect your problem-solving skills? Study says yes

Here’s some food for thought: What if the type of device you use affects your problem-solving skills? Research published in the journal Computers in Human Behavior suggests it just might. Specifically, smartphone users have been found to exhibit more rational, utilitarian decision-making, while their counterparts on PC were found to let emotions undermine their logic more frequently.

In the experiment, roughly 1,000 subjects were asked to decide between two possible outcomes of a moral dilemma. Some were assigned a smartphone to make their judgment call, while others were on a computer. The dilemma took the form of the classic “Trolley Problem,” in which a train is about to hit multiple workers, and the subject is asked if they would divert the train to instead kill one individual rather than several.

Recommended Videos

There were a few modifications made to the question. In the first trial, subjects could save five workers by pushing one man off a bridge and onto the tracks well before it reached the workers. In another, the subject could pull a switch forcing the train to change tracks, where there would be only one victim instead of five.

In both cases, smartphone users exhibited a higher propensity to choose the utilitarian option — the killing of one to save many — over what researchers termed the deontological response, which would prohibit killing of any nature, regardless of the circumstances.

Not surprisingly, significantly more subjects opted to pull the switch than push the man off the bridge. Regarding the switch question, 81 percent of smartphone users took action, compared to 77 percent of PC users. For the other dilemma, the gulf was a bit wider: 34 percent of phone respondents decided to sacrifice the man’s life, while 22 percent of subjects on computers elected to do the same. As the study states, the act of pulling the switch is considered to be much less emotionally aversive.

So how can we explain the difference? What is it about smartphones that make us into unfeeling, less emotionally driven actors? According to the study, it’s all about the lack of distractions.

The researchers conclude that the digital context of smartphone use is one of time pressure, which facilitates more rash decision making. Smartphones also focus our attention on the task at hand, and cause us to filter out secondary cues much more effectively. Without the time and multitasking resources to consider all the options available, we yield to the numbers argument. On the other hand, experts say computers grant us those luxuries, and thus make moral decisions more challenging by opening the door to increased emotional sway.

As technology bears an increasing influence over our everyday lives, there’s never been a more crucial time to study its effects on how we conduct ourselves — and how different devices and uses might complicate matters further.

Adam Ismail
Former Contributor
Adam’s obsession with tech began at a young age, with a Sega Dreamcast – and he’s been hooked ever since. Previously…
These two macOS 26 features would transform the way I use my Mac
Writing tools in Apple Notes.

Apple’s execution with note-taking on macOS leaves a lot of room for improvement. There are so many areas where it feels like an abandoned project, instead of the future-proof experience that native iOS apps often deliver. In fact, the disparity across its own platforms is troubling. 

Take, for example, iPadOS and iOS. You can quickly launch a notes page straight from the control, without having to close the existing app and launch the Notes app. On macOS, you don’t get any such facility. 

Read more
Looking for a 2-in-1 laptop? The Samsung Galaxy Book 5 Pro 360 is $250 off
Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro 360 front view showing tend mode.

Samsung is a brand that's better known for its smartphones and TVs, but it also has fantastic laptop deals, like this one for the Samsung Galaxy Book 5 Pro 360. You can currently get this 2-in-1 laptop with a $250 discount, which slashes its price from $1,700 to $1,450. We're not sure how much time is remaining on this offer though, so if you're interested in buying this premium device but you want to get it for a lower price than usual, you're going to have to proceed with your purchase immediately.

Why you should buy the Samsung Galaxy Book 5 Pro 360 2-in-1 laptop

Read more
Upgrade to this Alienware 4K QD-OLED gaming monitor while it’s $300 off
Cyberpunk 2077 being played on the Alienware 32 QD-OLED.

The powerful machine you purchased from gaming PC deals should be paired with a premium display, and the 32-inch Alienware 4K QD-OLED gaming monitor comes with our stamp of approval. It's also on sale from Dell right now, with a $300 discount slashing its price from $1,200 to only $900. That's a steal when you consider the capabilities of this screen, so you're going to have to hurry with your purchase as stocks may run out at any moment.

Why you should buy the 32-inch Alienware 4K QD-OLED gaming monitor

Read more