So What's The Difference?

摘要

There are several logical reasons why drivers' conversations with passengers may not be as cognitively demanding or impair their driving ability to the same extent as conversations conducted over a cellphone. Drivers talking with passengers have access to a number of non-verbal speech cues, making the conversation smoother and simpler to understand, so that less mental effort is required. Similarly the quality of the speech is clearer and easier to understand. The form and contents of passenger conversations are also believed to be fundamentally different from phone ones. Because passengers can see what the driver sees they can modify their conversation accordingly, matching the timing and complexity of their speech to driving conditions. Passengers may reduce their rate of speech or stop talking altogether in demanding driving situations, whereas this suppression does not occur in cellphone conversations.