The purpose of the present study was to investigate the cognitive processes underlying texting while driving. A sample of 120 college students completed a survey to assess how frequently they send and read a text message while driving. Based on this information, students were assigned to one of two groups: 20 students who frequently text while driving and 20 matched-control students who infrequently text while driving but were similar in gender, age, years of education, and years driving. The groups were compared on the extent to which they differed in self-reported measures of executive function and impulsivity. The groups were also compared on a behavioral measure of impulsivity: the extent to which they discounted hypothetical monetary rewards as a function of the delay. For this measure, the students made repeated choices between smaller monetary rewards available immediately and larger rewards available after delays ranging from 1 week to 6 months. The results show that the group of students who frequently text while driving showed (a) significantly lower levels of executive function and (b) higher levels of self-reported impulsivity, although the groups did not differ significantly on the behavioral measure of impulsivity. These results support a general conclusion that drivers with lower levels of executive function and higher levels of impulsivity are more likely to text while driving.

The present study investigated the development of superstitious conditioning, including sensory superstition, under positive reinforcement and avoidance conditions. College students were instructed to produce the textual stimulus GOOD on a computer screen (positive reinforcement condition) or to prevent the textual stimulus BAD from appearing (avoidance condition) using a six-digit keypad. The background color of the screen alternated between blue and green every 2 min. During the baseline, no textual stimulus was presented. Following the baseline, the textual stimulus GOOD or BAD was presented on the screen independently of responding according to a variable time 140-s schedule. Participants showed greater superstitious belief, as measured by participants' estimates of ability to control the response-independent stimulus event, under the avoidance condition. In addition, under both positive reinforcement and avoidance conditions, a majority of participants showed sensory superstitious behavior, as measured by the differential changes in response rate and allocation from the baseline under the two signals. They also showed sensory superstitious belief, as measured by differential estimates of ability and confidence in controlling the response-independent stimulus events under the 2 signals.