Investigation of the Relationship Between Working Memory, Smartphone Addiction and Mental Fatigue in University Students
Yıl 2025,
Cilt: 12 Sayı: 1, 283 - 293, 30.04.2025
Lütfiye Akkurt
,
Cihan Caner Aksoy
Öz
Objectives: This study aims to investigate the relationship between working memory (WM), smartphone addiction and mental fatigue in physiotherapy and rehabilitation students.
Materials and Methods: Smartphone addiction was assessed using the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version (SAS-SV) and mental fatigue was assessed using the Mental Fatigue Scale (MFS). WM was assessed using the Working Memory Questionnaire (WMQ).
Results: The study included 120 students with a mean age of 21.49±1.40 years. A statistically significant moderately positive relationship was found between the students’ WMQ and SAS-SV scores (p<0.001, r=0.423). There was a statistically significant moderately positive relationship between their WMQ and MFS scores (p<0.001, r=0.559). There was no significant difference in the students’ WMQ, SAS-SV, and MFS scores according to their grades (p>0.05).
Conclusion: Smartphone addiction and mental fatigue negatively affect WM in Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation students. To improve WM, which is important for learning information, further studies are needed to reduce smartphone addiction.
Etik Beyan
Approval for the study was obtained from the Kutahya Health Sciences University Non-Interventional Ethics Committee with decision number 2023/07-08.
Kaynakça
- Aksoy, C. C., Saracoglu, I., & Akkurt, L. (2022). Turkish Version of the Working Memory Questionnaire: Reliability and Validity. Journal of Basic and Clinical Health Sciences, 6(2), 401-407. https://doi.org/10.30621/jbachs.1003491
- Al-Amri, A., Abdulaziz, S., Bashir, S., Ahsan, M., & Abualait, T. (2023). Effects of smartphone addiction on cognitive function and physical activity in middle-school children: a cross-sectional study. Frontiers in psychology, 14, 1182749. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1182749
- Alhassan, A. A., Alqadhib, E. M., Taha, N. W., Alahmari, R. A., Salam, M., & Almutairi, A. F. (2018). The relationship between addiction to smartphone usage and depression among adults: a cross sectional study. BMC Psychiatry, 18(1), 148. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-018-1745-4
- Alhazmi, A. A., Alzahrani, S. H., Baig, M., Salawati, E. M., & Alkatheri, A. (2018). Prevalence and factors associated with smartphone addiction among medical students at King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah. Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences, 34(4). https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.344.15294
- Alsalameh, A., Harisi, M., Alduayji, M., Almutham, A., & Mahmood, F. (2019). Evaluating the relationship between smartphone addiction/overuse and musculoskeletal pain among medical students at Qassim University. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 8(9), 2953. https://doi.org/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_665_19
- Allen, K., Giofrè, D., Higgins, S., & Adams, J. (2020). Working memory predictors of mathematics across the middle primary school years. The British journal of educational psychology, 90(3), 848–869. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12339
- Alloway, T. P., & Copello, E. (2013). Working Memory: The What, the Why, and the How. The Australian Educational and Developmental Psychologist, 30(2), 105–118. doi:10.1017/edp.2013.13
- Baars, B., & Gage, N. M. (2013). Fundamentals of cognitive neuroscience: a beginner's guide. Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/C2011-0-04186-8
- Baddeley A. (1992). Working memory. Science (New York, N.Y.), 255(5044), 556–559. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1736359
- Boksem, M. A., & Tops, M. (2008). Mental fatigue: costs and benefits. Brain research reviews, 59(1), 125–139. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainresrev.2008.07.001
- Bull, R., Espy, K. A., & Wiebe, S. A. (2008). Short-term memory, working memory, and executive functioning in preschoolers: longitudinal predictors of mathematical achievement at age 7 years. Developmental neuropsychology, 33(3), 205–228. https://doi.org/10.1080/87565640801982312
- Cheever, N. A., Rosen, L. D., Carrier, L. M., & Chavez, A. (2014). Out of sight is not out of mind: The impact of restricting wireless mobile device use on anxiety levels among low, moderate and high users. Computers in Human Behavior, 37, 290-297. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2014.05.002
- Clayton, R. B., Leshner, G., & Almond, A. (2015). The extended iSelf: The impact of iPhone separation on cognition, emotion, and physiology. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 20(2), 119–135. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcc4.12109
- Gathercole, S. E., Pickering, S. J., Knight, C., & Stegmann, Z. (2004). Working memory skills and educational attainment: Evidence from national curriculum assessments at 7 and 14 years of age. Applied Cognitive Psychology: The Official Journal of the Society for Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 18(1), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.934
- Ge, J., Liu, Y., Cao, W., & Zhou, S. (2023). The relationship between anxiety and depression with smartphone addiction among college students: The mediating effect of executive dysfunction. Frontiers in psychology, 13, 1033304. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1033304
- Helton, W. S., & Russell, P. N. (2015). Rest is best: the role of rest and task interruptions on vigilance. Cognition, 134, 165–173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2014.10.001
- Helton, W. S., & Russell, P. N. (2017). Rest Is Still Best. Human factors, 59(1), 91–100. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018720816683509
- Jain, S., & Nataraja, N. P. (2019). The Effect of Fatigue on Working Memory and Auditory Perceptual Abilities in Trained Musicians. American journal of audiology, 28(2S), 483–494. https://doi.org/10.1044/2019_AJA-IND50-18-0102
- Jang, J. H., Chung, S. J., Choi, A., Lee, J. Y., Kim, B., Park, M., Park, S., & Choi, J. S. (2021). Association of General Cognitive Functions with Gaming Use in Young Adults: A Comparison among Excessive Gamers, Regular Gamers and Non-Gamers. Journal of clinical medicine, 10(11), 2293. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm10112293
- Johansson, B., Starmark, A., Berglund, P., Rödholm, M., & Rönnbäck, L. (2010). A self-assessment questionnaire for mental fatigue and related symptoms after neurological disorders and injuries. Brain injury, 24(1), 2–12. https://doi.org/10.3109/02699050903452961
- Kilinc, M., Murat, G., & Kinikli, G. I. (2021). The reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the Mental Fatigue Scale in healthy individuals. Clinical and Experimental Health Sciences, 11(3), 381-386. https://doi.org/10.33808/clinexphealthsci.715517
- Kwon, M., Lee, J. Y., Won, W. Y., Park, J. W., Min, J. A., Hahn, C., Gu, X., Choi, J. H., & Kim, D. J. (2013). Development and validation of a smartphone addiction scale (SAS). PloS one, 8(2), e56936. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0056936
- Liebherr, M., Schubert, P., Antons, S., Montag, C., & Brand, M. (2020). Smartphones and attention, curse or blessing?-A review on the effects of smartphone usage on attention, inhibition, and working memory. Computers in Human Behavior Reports, 1, 100005. doi.org/10.1016/j.chbr.2020.100005
- Mohta, R., & Halder, S. (2021). A comparative study on cognitive, emotional, and social functioning in adolescents with and without smartphone addiction. Journal of Indian Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 17(4), 44-65. doi:10.1177/0973134220210404
- Noyan, C. O., Darcin, A. E., Nurmedov, S., Yilmaz, O., & Dilbaz, N. (2015). Validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short version among university students/Akilli Telefon Bagimliligi Olceginin Kisa Formunun universite ogrencilerinde Turkce gecerlilik ve guvenilirlik calismasi. Anadolu Psikiyatri Dergisi, 16(S1), 73-82. https://doi.org/10.5455/apd.176101
- Omary, A., & Persky, A. M. (2019). Changes in Working Memory Performance Over an Academic Semester in Student Pharmacists. American journal of pharmaceutical education, 83(10), 7325. https://doi.org/10.5688/ajpe7325
- Pergher, V., Vanbilsen, N., & Van Hulle, M. (2021). The Effect of Mental Fatigue and Gender on Working Memory Performance during Repeated Practice by Young and Older Adults. Neural plasticity, 2021, 6612805. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/6612805
- Ratan, Z. A., Parrish, A. M., Zaman, S. B., Alotaibi, M. S., & Hosseinzadeh, H. (2021). Smartphone Addiction and Associated Health Outcomes in Adult Populations: A Systematic Review. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(22), 12257. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182212257
- Rathakrishnan, B., Bikar Singh, S. S., Kamaluddin, M. R., Yahaya, A., Mohd Nasir, M. A., Ibrahim, F., & Ab Rahman, Z. (2021). Smartphone Addiction and Sleep Quality on Academic Performance of University Students: An Exploratory Research. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(16), 8291. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18168291
- Schober, P., Boer, C., & Schwarte, L. A. (2018). Correlation Coefficients: Appropriate Use and Interpretation. Anesthesia and analgesia, 126(5), 1763–1768. https://doi.org/10.1213/ANE.0000000000002864
- Sujadi, E., & Ahmad, B. (2023). Academic Procrastination in College Students: Do Academic Burnout and Smartphone Addiction Matter? Psychocentrum Review, 5(3), 161–174. https://doi.org/10.26539/pcr.531511
- Tanil, C. T., & Yong, M. H. (2020). Mobile phones: The effect of its presence on learning and memory. PloS one, 15(8), e0219233. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0219233
- Tu, Z., He, J., Wang, Z., Wang, C., Tian, J., & Tang, Y. (2023). Can limiting bedtime smartphone use improve next-day working memory among undergraduates with problematic smartphone use?. Psychiatry research, 327, 115371. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2023.115371
- Vallat-Azouvi, C., Pradat-Diehl, P., & Azouvi, P. (2012). The Working Memory Questionnaire: a scale to assess everyday life problems related to deficits of working memory in brain injured patients. Neuropsychological rehabilitation, 22(4), 634–649. https://doi.org/10.1080/09602011.2012.681110
- Van Cutsem, J., Marcora, S., De Pauw, K., Bailey, S., Meeusen, R., & Roelands, B. (2017). The Effects of Mental Fatigue on Physical Performance: A Systematic Review. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 47(8), 1569–1588. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-016-0672-0
- Van der Linden, D., Frese, M., & Meijman, T. F. (2003). Mental fatigue and the control of cognitive processes: effects on perseveration and planning. Acta psychologica, 113(1), 45–65. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0001-6918(02)00150-6
- Vaughan, R. S., & Laborde, S. (2021). Attention, working-memory control, working-memory capacity, and sport performance: The moderating role of athletic expertise. European journal of sport science, 21(2), 240–249. https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2020.1739143
- Wood, G., Vine, S. J., & Wilson, M. R. (2016). Working memory capacity, controlled attention and aiming performance under pressure. Psychological research, 80(4), 510–517. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00426-015-0673-x
Yıl 2025,
Cilt: 12 Sayı: 1, 283 - 293, 30.04.2025
Lütfiye Akkurt
,
Cihan Caner Aksoy
Etik Beyan
Approval for the study was obtained from the Kutahya Health Sciences University Non-Interventional Ethics Committee with decision number 2023/07-08.
Kaynakça
- Aksoy, C. C., Saracoglu, I., & Akkurt, L. (2022). Turkish Version of the Working Memory Questionnaire: Reliability and Validity. Journal of Basic and Clinical Health Sciences, 6(2), 401-407. https://doi.org/10.30621/jbachs.1003491
- Al-Amri, A., Abdulaziz, S., Bashir, S., Ahsan, M., & Abualait, T. (2023). Effects of smartphone addiction on cognitive function and physical activity in middle-school children: a cross-sectional study. Frontiers in psychology, 14, 1182749. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1182749
- Alhassan, A. A., Alqadhib, E. M., Taha, N. W., Alahmari, R. A., Salam, M., & Almutairi, A. F. (2018). The relationship between addiction to smartphone usage and depression among adults: a cross sectional study. BMC Psychiatry, 18(1), 148. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-018-1745-4
- Alhazmi, A. A., Alzahrani, S. H., Baig, M., Salawati, E. M., & Alkatheri, A. (2018). Prevalence and factors associated with smartphone addiction among medical students at King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah. Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences, 34(4). https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.344.15294
- Alsalameh, A., Harisi, M., Alduayji, M., Almutham, A., & Mahmood, F. (2019). Evaluating the relationship between smartphone addiction/overuse and musculoskeletal pain among medical students at Qassim University. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 8(9), 2953. https://doi.org/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_665_19
- Allen, K., Giofrè, D., Higgins, S., & Adams, J. (2020). Working memory predictors of mathematics across the middle primary school years. The British journal of educational psychology, 90(3), 848–869. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12339
- Alloway, T. P., & Copello, E. (2013). Working Memory: The What, the Why, and the How. The Australian Educational and Developmental Psychologist, 30(2), 105–118. doi:10.1017/edp.2013.13
- Baars, B., & Gage, N. M. (2013). Fundamentals of cognitive neuroscience: a beginner's guide. Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/C2011-0-04186-8
- Baddeley A. (1992). Working memory. Science (New York, N.Y.), 255(5044), 556–559. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1736359
- Boksem, M. A., & Tops, M. (2008). Mental fatigue: costs and benefits. Brain research reviews, 59(1), 125–139. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainresrev.2008.07.001
- Bull, R., Espy, K. A., & Wiebe, S. A. (2008). Short-term memory, working memory, and executive functioning in preschoolers: longitudinal predictors of mathematical achievement at age 7 years. Developmental neuropsychology, 33(3), 205–228. https://doi.org/10.1080/87565640801982312
- Cheever, N. A., Rosen, L. D., Carrier, L. M., & Chavez, A. (2014). Out of sight is not out of mind: The impact of restricting wireless mobile device use on anxiety levels among low, moderate and high users. Computers in Human Behavior, 37, 290-297. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2014.05.002
- Clayton, R. B., Leshner, G., & Almond, A. (2015). The extended iSelf: The impact of iPhone separation on cognition, emotion, and physiology. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 20(2), 119–135. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcc4.12109
- Gathercole, S. E., Pickering, S. J., Knight, C., & Stegmann, Z. (2004). Working memory skills and educational attainment: Evidence from national curriculum assessments at 7 and 14 years of age. Applied Cognitive Psychology: The Official Journal of the Society for Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 18(1), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.934
- Ge, J., Liu, Y., Cao, W., & Zhou, S. (2023). The relationship between anxiety and depression with smartphone addiction among college students: The mediating effect of executive dysfunction. Frontiers in psychology, 13, 1033304. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1033304
- Helton, W. S., & Russell, P. N. (2015). Rest is best: the role of rest and task interruptions on vigilance. Cognition, 134, 165–173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2014.10.001
- Helton, W. S., & Russell, P. N. (2017). Rest Is Still Best. Human factors, 59(1), 91–100. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018720816683509
- Jain, S., & Nataraja, N. P. (2019). The Effect of Fatigue on Working Memory and Auditory Perceptual Abilities in Trained Musicians. American journal of audiology, 28(2S), 483–494. https://doi.org/10.1044/2019_AJA-IND50-18-0102
- Jang, J. H., Chung, S. J., Choi, A., Lee, J. Y., Kim, B., Park, M., Park, S., & Choi, J. S. (2021). Association of General Cognitive Functions with Gaming Use in Young Adults: A Comparison among Excessive Gamers, Regular Gamers and Non-Gamers. Journal of clinical medicine, 10(11), 2293. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm10112293
- Johansson, B., Starmark, A., Berglund, P., Rödholm, M., & Rönnbäck, L. (2010). A self-assessment questionnaire for mental fatigue and related symptoms after neurological disorders and injuries. Brain injury, 24(1), 2–12. https://doi.org/10.3109/02699050903452961
- Kilinc, M., Murat, G., & Kinikli, G. I. (2021). The reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the Mental Fatigue Scale in healthy individuals. Clinical and Experimental Health Sciences, 11(3), 381-386. https://doi.org/10.33808/clinexphealthsci.715517
- Kwon, M., Lee, J. Y., Won, W. Y., Park, J. W., Min, J. A., Hahn, C., Gu, X., Choi, J. H., & Kim, D. J. (2013). Development and validation of a smartphone addiction scale (SAS). PloS one, 8(2), e56936. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0056936
- Liebherr, M., Schubert, P., Antons, S., Montag, C., & Brand, M. (2020). Smartphones and attention, curse or blessing?-A review on the effects of smartphone usage on attention, inhibition, and working memory. Computers in Human Behavior Reports, 1, 100005. doi.org/10.1016/j.chbr.2020.100005
- Mohta, R., & Halder, S. (2021). A comparative study on cognitive, emotional, and social functioning in adolescents with and without smartphone addiction. Journal of Indian Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 17(4), 44-65. doi:10.1177/0973134220210404
- Noyan, C. O., Darcin, A. E., Nurmedov, S., Yilmaz, O., & Dilbaz, N. (2015). Validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short version among university students/Akilli Telefon Bagimliligi Olceginin Kisa Formunun universite ogrencilerinde Turkce gecerlilik ve guvenilirlik calismasi. Anadolu Psikiyatri Dergisi, 16(S1), 73-82. https://doi.org/10.5455/apd.176101
- Omary, A., & Persky, A. M. (2019). Changes in Working Memory Performance Over an Academic Semester in Student Pharmacists. American journal of pharmaceutical education, 83(10), 7325. https://doi.org/10.5688/ajpe7325
- Pergher, V., Vanbilsen, N., & Van Hulle, M. (2021). The Effect of Mental Fatigue and Gender on Working Memory Performance during Repeated Practice by Young and Older Adults. Neural plasticity, 2021, 6612805. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/6612805
- Ratan, Z. A., Parrish, A. M., Zaman, S. B., Alotaibi, M. S., & Hosseinzadeh, H. (2021). Smartphone Addiction and Associated Health Outcomes in Adult Populations: A Systematic Review. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(22), 12257. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182212257
- Rathakrishnan, B., Bikar Singh, S. S., Kamaluddin, M. R., Yahaya, A., Mohd Nasir, M. A., Ibrahim, F., & Ab Rahman, Z. (2021). Smartphone Addiction and Sleep Quality on Academic Performance of University Students: An Exploratory Research. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(16), 8291. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18168291
- Schober, P., Boer, C., & Schwarte, L. A. (2018). Correlation Coefficients: Appropriate Use and Interpretation. Anesthesia and analgesia, 126(5), 1763–1768. https://doi.org/10.1213/ANE.0000000000002864
- Sujadi, E., & Ahmad, B. (2023). Academic Procrastination in College Students: Do Academic Burnout and Smartphone Addiction Matter? Psychocentrum Review, 5(3), 161–174. https://doi.org/10.26539/pcr.531511
- Tanil, C. T., & Yong, M. H. (2020). Mobile phones: The effect of its presence on learning and memory. PloS one, 15(8), e0219233. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0219233
- Tu, Z., He, J., Wang, Z., Wang, C., Tian, J., & Tang, Y. (2023). Can limiting bedtime smartphone use improve next-day working memory among undergraduates with problematic smartphone use?. Psychiatry research, 327, 115371. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2023.115371
- Vallat-Azouvi, C., Pradat-Diehl, P., & Azouvi, P. (2012). The Working Memory Questionnaire: a scale to assess everyday life problems related to deficits of working memory in brain injured patients. Neuropsychological rehabilitation, 22(4), 634–649. https://doi.org/10.1080/09602011.2012.681110
- Van Cutsem, J., Marcora, S., De Pauw, K., Bailey, S., Meeusen, R., & Roelands, B. (2017). The Effects of Mental Fatigue on Physical Performance: A Systematic Review. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 47(8), 1569–1588. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-016-0672-0
- Van der Linden, D., Frese, M., & Meijman, T. F. (2003). Mental fatigue and the control of cognitive processes: effects on perseveration and planning. Acta psychologica, 113(1), 45–65. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0001-6918(02)00150-6
- Vaughan, R. S., & Laborde, S. (2021). Attention, working-memory control, working-memory capacity, and sport performance: The moderating role of athletic expertise. European journal of sport science, 21(2), 240–249. https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2020.1739143
- Wood, G., Vine, S. J., & Wilson, M. R. (2016). Working memory capacity, controlled attention and aiming performance under pressure. Psychological research, 80(4), 510–517. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00426-015-0673-x