UROP Project
Screen Time or Fragmentation? Smartphone Use and Focus in College Students
focus, attention, cognition, digital, technology
Research Mentor: Dr. Dorota Kossowska-Kuhn,
Department, College, Affiliation: Psychology, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: kuhn@psy.fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor): Gillian Gouveia
Research Assistant Supervisor Email: glgouveia@fsu.edu
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Department, College, Affiliation: Psychology, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: kuhn@psy.fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor): Gillian Gouveia
Research Assistant Supervisor Email: glgouveia@fsu.edu
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Looking for Research Assistants: Yes
Number of Research Assistants: 6
Relevant Majors: Open to all majors
Project Location: online
Research Assistant Transportation Required: No, the project is remote Remote or In-person: Fully Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 7-10, Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link:
Not participating in the roundtable
Number of Research Assistants: 6
Relevant Majors: Open to all majors
Project Location: online
Research Assistant Transportation Required: No, the project is remote Remote or In-person: Fully Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 7-10, Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link:
Not participating in the roundtable
Project Description
Smartphones are a constant part of college students’ daily lives, but it is not yet clear whether attention is more strongly related to how much time people spend on their phones or how frequently they interrupt their attention by checking them.This study will examine the relationship between smartphone use and focus in Florida State University students. Participants will complete a brief online sustained-attention task and questionnaires assessing subjective focus, mental fatigue, stress, sleep, and phone-related interruptions during academic work. Participants will also provide objective iPhone Screen Time information, including average daily screen time and number of phone pickups.
The primary goal is to determine whether digital fragmentation, reflected by frequent phone pickups and checking behavior, is more strongly associated with subjective and objectively measured attention than total screen time. The study will also examine whether students’ perceptions of their own ability to focus correspond to their performance on an objective attention task.
The project is designed as a fully online study and will provide undergraduate researchers with experience in research design, participant recruitment, behavioral data collection, survey methodology, cognitive assessment, data management, and quantitative analysis.
Research Tasks: Conducting literature searches on smartphone use, digital interruptions, sustained attention, mind wandering, and cognitive fatigue.
Assisting with development and testing of the online Qualtrics study.
Piloting the survey and computerized attention task and identifying technical or usability problems.
Assisting with participant recruitment and monitoring data collection.
Reviewing uploaded Screen Time information and verifying reported screen-time and pickup measures according to a standardized coding procedure.
Organizing, cleaning, and quality-checking survey and behavioral-task data.
Learning to score measures of subjective focus and sustained attention.
Assisting with descriptive statistics, correlations, regression analyses, and visualization of study results.
Participating in research meetings to discuss hypotheses, methodological decisions, findings, and interpretation.
Contributing to preparation of research presentations, posters, and potentially a manuscript based on the project.
Skills that research assistant(s) may need: All motivated and hard-working students are welcome.
Mentoring Philosophy
My mentoring philosophy revolves around empowering undergraduate students to excel in their project work through a combination of ownership, accountability, shared experience, and interactive learning. I believe in fostering an environment that nurtures their growth and encourages independent thinking.I emphasize giving mentees ownership of their work by involving them in project decisions, from goal setting to execution. This not only bolsters their confidence but also instills a sense of responsibility for their outcomes. I promote accountability by setting clear expectations and milestones, enabling them to track their progress and take pride in their achievements.
Drawing from my own experience, I share stories of challenges and successes, illustrating the real-world applications of their efforts. This bridges the gap between theory and practice, enhancing their understanding and motivation. I also encourage open dialogue, where questions and ideas are welcomed, creating an interactive platform for collaborative learning.
I understand that each student is unique, with varying skills and aspirations. To accommodate this, I tailor my guidance, offering guidance that aligns with their interests and goals. I provide resources, recommend reading materials, and suggest relevant workshops, fostering holistic development.
In conclusion, my approach to mentoring undergraduates centers on nurturing their autonomy, cultivating responsibility, leveraging shared experiences, and fostering an interactive learning ecosystem. By doing so, I aim to not only support their immediate project objectives but also to equip them with lifelong skills for success.