Screen time and cognitive function in university students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33910/1992-6464-2025-217-213-224Keywords:
smartphone screen time, cognitive function, attention, memory, cognitive control, Internet immersion, studentsAbstract
Introduction. This article investigates the relationship between smartphone usage duration and the cognitive functions of female university students. Previous research has identified a decline in the cognitive functions that underpin self-regulation and mediate students’ academic performance, a decline associated with prolonged, intensive, and multitasking engagement with digital devices.
Materials and Methods. To determine the level of immersion in the online environment, the Internet Immersion Index questionnaire (Regush) was used. Objective data on screen time were collected from smartphone usage statistics. The state of basic cognitive functions was assessed individually using a battery of methods: the Luria Memory Words Test (Luria); the Bourdon Test (Bourdon); the Trail Making Test (Reitan); the Go/No-Go Task (Donders); the Stroop Test (Stroop). The sample consisted of female students of university age from Herzen University.
Results. Correlations were found between indicators of Internet immersion and the productivity of basic cognitive functions, including memory and perception. The relationship between Internet immersion and attention was shown to be mediated by a more aggregate measure of executive process accuracy.
Conclusions. The selected assessment toolkit demonstrated sufficient efficacy for identifying inter-group differences and relationships between the studied variables. A promising direction for future research is to expand the sample and to investigate the development of cognitive functions in students at different levels of education.
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