This study examined the differential effects of smartphone presence on divergent and convergent thinking and looked at whether individual differences in smartphone dependency moderate these effects. In a between-subjects experimental design, participants (N = 58) were randomly assigned to a phone-present or phone-absent condition and then completed two creativity tasks: the Alternate Uses Task (AUT) and the Remote Associates Task (RAT), as measures of divergent and convergent thinking, respectively. Smartphone dependency was measured using two indicators: a smartphone dependency score and self-reported daily screentime in hours. 

Separate regression analyses and moderation analyses were conducted to examine the effects of smartphone presence on creativity performance. Results showed that smartphone presence had a negative effect on performance on the divergent thinking task, with participants in the phone-present condition scoring lower than those in the phone-absent condition. Conversely, no significant effects were found on the convergent thinking task. Similarly, moderation analyses revealed no significant effect of smartphone dependency or daily screentime on the relationship between smartphone presence and creativity. 

Interestingly, exploratory analyses excluding an extreme outlier in daily screentime resulted in a significant main effect of phone condition and an interaction between phone condition and daily screentime on AUT task performance. Future research should further examine this relationship with larger samples and a more robust measure of smartphone use and habits. Overall, these findings contribute to the growing body of research on creative thinking and how everyday technology, such as our smartphones, can exert a passive influence on higher-order cognitive functions, including creative performance.