Abstract:
Smartphone usage while walking is prevalent in today’s society. Previous studies have explored how texting while walking negatively impacts gait performance by decreasing the walking speed and increasing body sway (Parr et al, 2014; Plummer et al, 2014). However, little is known about how smartphone usage affects a person’s ability to react to an unexpected event during gait. The purpose of this study was to investigate how visual attention divided by smartphone usage affects gait performance when reacting to an unexpected event.
Description:
37 pages. A thesis presented to the Department of Human Physiology and the Clark Honors College of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Science, Fall 2014.