by Preston Miller
caffeinating, calculating, computerating by ryantron
As a young person I am officially apart of the “M” Generation that is, the multi-tasking Generation. Today we can access vast amounts of information that surpasses any physical database. Today you’ll see us working on their homework while listening to music and other media forms. We even have conversations with people in front of us while talking to a friend on Facebook. However, contrary to popular opinion recent studies have shown that today’s young people are not any better at multi-tasking than other generations and in fact it may have negative effects on brain development.
According to the following studies, you can only give your full attention to one task at a time. What seems like multi-tasking is really ordering our tasks and rapidly switching between them. It is not possible to perform two high cognitive functions. For example, you cannot read a paper thoroughly and discuss it at the same time. A study conducted by Elinor Ochs with thirty-two families has discovered the part of the brain responsible for attention switching with the use of fMRI scans. It is called the Brodmann’s Area 10 and is located in the brain’s anterior prefrontal cortex. Brodmann’s Area 10 is very slow to develop and very quick to degrade as one ages.
Younger people do have one advantage though. We are able to work when we are surrounded by distractions, whereas older adults have problems blocking out outside interference. This advantage does not apply to Generation M, just young people in general. In fact, in another study results have shown that Generation M’s ‘multi-tasking’ has a negative effect on time efficiency and error-making odds. This study, described in the same article as above, was conducted by David E. Meyer on Generation M students. Meyer explains that a teenager trying to do three things at once, like a conversation, e-mail, and homework, they will have a decrease in efficiency compared to doing those tasks one at a time. His results show that ‘multi-tasking’ while working exponentially increases the amount of errors made and often the time more than doubles. Multi-tasking is not only a myth but also a very non-efficient method of working.
Multi-tasking my actually have adverse effects on the brain’s development. According to an Washington Post article this may lead to a lack of analytical skills and even worse, procrastination. Since one’s brain is still developing during their teenage years it is conceivable that this could lead to the side effects described above. Unfortunately, no studies have been performed as of yet because Generation M is still too young. With sixty-five percent of teenagers describing themselves as ‘multi-taskers’ whatever the outcome on brain development it will affect a huge portion of the young soon-to-be working generation.
References
Aratani, Lori. (2007). Teens can multitask, but what are costs? The Washington Post. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/25/ AR2007022501600.html.
Wallis, Claudia. (2006). The multitasking generation. Time. Retrieved from http://www.fritzhubbard.org/words/The_Multitasking_Generation.pdf
Not only does it seem that multi-tasking affects the act that is currently being concentrated on (i.e. a paper due), but according to a test done by multiple Stanford researchers, people who multi-task regularly are affected in other areas of their life as well. Researches showed two groups of people, one group with people who often multi-task and the other with people that don’t, sets of two red rectangles by themselves, or surrounded by two, four or six blue rectangles. Each set flashed twice and the participants had to determine if the two red rectangles in the second flash were in a different position than the first flash. The participants were told to ignore the blue rectangles. The low multi-taskers easily ignored the blue rectangles while the high multi-taskers were constantly distracted by the unnecessary blue images. This study shows how much multi-tasking can affect someone when not even realizing it, neither of these groups were given any other stimulus besides the images, and the multi-taskers did significantly poorer than the primary group.
Comment by Cebe Loomis — March 25, 2010 @ 3:46 pm
It is interesting to note the characteristics that contribute to predicting who is more inclined to multitask. One particularly notable characteristic is gender; although there isn’t much research comparing the two, it has been proposed that girls are more likely to multitask than boys (Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 2006). This may have evolutionary roots; females are traditionally the parental caregivers, which involves completing more than one task at once. The ability to do this enhanced the fitness of certain females (therefore increasing their chances of survival), which has evolved into present-day young adult women practicing an innate ability to multitask. However, instead of juggling the responsibilities of caring for offspring, they are utilizing various forms of media around them.
Sources:
The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. (2006). Media multitasking among American youth: prevalence, predictors and pairings. Washington, DC: Ulla Foehr.
Comment by Alyssa Alcasabas Pabalan — March 25, 2010 @ 5:16 pm
When you multi-task you always feel like you’re getting a lot more done, but honestly it sometimes tasks you longer to complete one of many tasks you are performing than it would take you to complete the same task if you were focused on one task only. Though you sometimes feel like you’re being more efficient when you multi-task, efficiency is actually being decreased. Tasks completed while multi-tasking are done less thoroughly than they might otherwise be done. Multi-tasking also detracts from in-depth consideration of the task at hand. This could have a huge impact on certain tasks, especially those which are of a creative nature, as you do not have the mental focus to devote to just the one task. Extreme multi-tasking is even comparable to attention deficit disorder, in some respects because people who are multi-tasking are simply unable to focus on the task at hand; this was point out in this main blog post which explains that multi-tasking is actually just the brain switching tasks rapidly rather than performing two operations at once. And as common as multi-tasking is in our everyday lives, it can be dangerous. For instance, multi-tasking like texting while driving a car reduces the driver’s reaction time significantly. In a study that tested this, it was found that the driver’s reaction time was lowered 35%, which is even slower than the reaction time of a driver who has been drinking or is under the influence of marijuana.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/25/business/yourmoney/25shortcuts.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1
Comment by Daniele Selby — March 31, 2010 @ 7:51 pm
Studies also claim that those who do multitask frequently are actually worse at it then people who do it rarely. researchers Eyal Ophira, Clifford Nassb, and Anthony D. Wagner ‘compared high- and low-multitaskers on a variety of psychological tests,’ and determined that ‘high-multitaskers were worse at ignoring irrelevant information, worse at organizing information, and took more time to switch between tasks.’ As mentioned in the comment earlier, people who multitask a lot usually have some sort of attention deficit which makes them switch between tasks due to the lack of attention. this disorder may also be the reason as to why high multi-taskers were were at ignoring irrelevant information and organising information.
Comment by Rahul Kanade — April 18, 2010 @ 6:23 pm
The concept that multi-tasking results in the inability to optimally complete a given task has significant scientific support. David E. Meyer, director of the Brain, Cognition and Action Laboratory at the University of Michigan, says that by multitasking people are actually accomplishing their goals at a slower rate than if they concentrated on one task at a time. Similarly, Eric Horvitz, a scientific researcher for Microsoft, found that workers, when interrupted by a phone call or e-mail, averaged 15 minutes to return focus to their original task. Even though studies have found multi-tasking to be less efficient than once thought, the trait is still regarded as one that is admired and often specifically noted in some job requirements. According to Jeremy Reimer, we tend to think of people as having the ability to function as a computer in the way a computer can have multiple applications running at once. Unfortunately, as many scientists have discovered, the human brain does not have that capacity.
(http://arstechnica.com/old/content/2007/03/study-says-leave-the-multitasking-to-your-computer.ars )
Comment by Jared Suttles — April 20, 2010 @ 8:39 pm
There are two other things from the Washington post article that I think are worth pointing out. First, in an experiment that compared multitasking with focused task completion, there was very little difference in the actual results of the tasks, but two different areas of the brain were activated: for the single taskers, the hippocampus–gateway to long-term memory–was engaged, while for multitaskers, it was replaced by a part of the brain associated with repetitive tasks. That seems like a very important distinction to me, especially for teenagers who are learning skills which they are expected to take into college and beyond. If the tasks performed while multitasking aren’t making it into long-term memory, that could have some severe consequences for these youth later in life. Second, the article notes that many modern jobs require multitasking. In fact, I see that often as a requirement for summer jobs online. On the one hand, it’s possible that today’s youth are getting practice for those types of environments, but there’s also the possibility that we’re aiming towards an impossible goal, one that we are biologically not designed for. I guess we’ll have to wait and see since, as the original post pointed out, Generation M is still growing up.
Comment by Heather K — April 25, 2010 @ 3:07 pm
I marvel whenever I see someone listening to music or watching TV while they’re working. I’ve tried so many times, and I’ve finally come to the conclusion that I just can’t do something that involves significant cognitive effort (i.e. reading, writing, schoolwork) with something distracting me. I had always chalked it up to me being far more interested in the distractor than my homework, which may be partially true. However, thinking from the point of view of someone coming out of a psych class, it seems quite logical to think of my inability to work with distractions in terms of my brain. I haven’t worked on developing my ability to switch between tasks (Brodmann’s Area 10, I take it), so it wouldn’t be very well developed. Reading this post makes me feel a little better about my inability to work with distractions. Maybe I’ll just end up more efficient!
Comment by Psych 105 student — April 30, 2010 @ 8:39 pm
It’s so funny to me that as I read this blog post, I am also listening to a movie in the background. It’s a movie I have seen many times before, so I feel like I don’t really need to watch it, but can listen while I read and write other things. As a child, I used to read and watch tv at the same time, and could always remember what happened in each, but never the title of the book, or the main character of a movie. From my own personal experience, I feel like a person can take in quite a bit of two things at once, but never all the details. It is more difficult when the distractor is something that the multitasker is unfamiliar with, and it is just a difficult thing in general, and now I’m a little scared for my brain development!
Comment by Rebecca Shulbank-Smith — May 7, 2010 @ 2:42 pm
Obviously multi-tasking is a very difficult action that requires a certain amount of skill to be able to complete all tasks at a high level. I find it difficult to fathom, though, that multi-tasking can reduce one’s analytical skills. It can be understood that someone multi-tasking will not dive into a set task as deeply or intently as another who’s full attention is devoted to the same task. But, I see the multi-tasker’s lack of analytical skill temporary: if he/she was working on only that set task, would his/her analytical abilities be the same as when he/she was multi-tasking? Additionally, multi-tasking cannot be completely negative. For example it teaches invaluable usage of time, efficiency, etc. that I feel would outweigh any hypothetical loss of analytical skill.
Comment by Casey Rice — May 3, 2010 @ 8:02 pm
We live in a world full of distractions. With so many ways in which to obtain information, most of which are readily available in the areas in which we study, multi-tasking is useful task. The statement that multi-tasking affects analytical abilities is, as posted, not researched and therefore cannot be backed by any facts. In our world it is necessary in many professions to be able to switch from conversation, to writing to answering phones and responding to emails in an every day workplace. Without these skills people would struggle to succeed in the business that has taken over the modern world. An University of Newcastle study has shown that people are now paid not only for there ability to do hard tasks but more so in there ability to conquer those tasks while dealing with the distractions that surround them, as well as the ability to prioritize the multiple tasks that are presented. For this reason I believe that multi-tasking is a positive yet hard to learn skill that is necessary to succeed in today’s world.
Comment by Christopher Toffoli — May 3, 2010 @ 9:50 pm
In light of the negative effects of multitasking, I can understand how many people advocate focusing on one task at a time but I agree with the comments above mine- that multitasking is a necessary and beneficial skill, where the benefits may outweigh the negative effects. Although multitasking is obviously unwise in situations such as driving a car, factors in the workplace such as rigid time constraints or employer demands make the ability to multitask a required skill. Furthermore, research from Vanderbilt University indicates that multitasking ability can be improved through training (Vanderbilt University 2009). While multitasking will never be as efficient as performing one task, it is encouraging to learn that it is possible to improve this skill.
References:
Vanderbilt University (2009, July 27). Multitasking Ability Can Be Improved Through Training. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 5, 2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2009/07/090716113401.htm
Comment by 105 student — May 5, 2010 @ 8:35 am
Why do we multitask? Because we feel that there aren’t enough hours in the day. One must note other factors that affect one’s need to multitask. One study held at Drexel University related the use of multiple electronic media, consuming caffeinated beverages, sleep, and multitasking. This study created a “multitasking index” which compiled use of different media at night. Those with less hours of sleep had higher multitasking indexes.
Study week is the perfect time to see this in action. My peers shut down their Facebooks for a week or use the application “SelfControl” to block access to their e-mail because they know they will be distracted. They take multiple trips for coffee and pull all nighters. And after all, they accomplish their work. I think that being part of this “M” Generation is a function of the vast amount of technology that we have access to and the comparison to other generations is not fair. Whatever the relation of brain development and multitasking is is, perhaps this change is not actually a determent but a necessary change to be an active participant in our advancing world.
Drexel University (2009, July 25). Caffeine-Drinking Teens Don’t Get Enough Sleep. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 10, 2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2009/07/090724214602.htm
Comment by Psych 105 student — May 10, 2010 @ 3:58 pm
It seems obvious that one can’t completely focus on more than one activity at once or put ones best effort forward when divided between more than one major task. However what I do find puzzling is the fact that this has adverse side effects. Scientists make the comparison all the time that “the brain is a muscle” and like a muscle must be continuously worked to get better. It seems odd then that multitasking would affect us negatively when were stretching our brain trying to take care of multiple tasks. It seems to me that if anything multitasking should make certain thinking or concentrating functions better not worse.
Comment by Gary Clauss — May 16, 2010 @ 7:24 pm
We multitask because we feel the urge to do so. It is a skill that is required from us and we should do better to excel in the workplace but what we don’t know is that when we multitask more we become less efficient and it become detrimental to the productivity.
Comment by Dave — April 4, 2011 @ 5:46 pm
Multitaskers experience an illusion of productivity. They feel they are doing a lot, when in fact all they are doing is constantly stopping and restarting. They completing very little at all.
To learn more about the effects of multitasking, take my free exercise at http://www.davecrenshaw.com/exercise
Comment by Dave Crenshaw — May 22, 2011 @ 8:00 pm
I do wonder, though, about the studies on doodling while in class. Technically, that is also a form of multitasking and yet it was actually beneficial toward retaining information better. Perhaps there are some forms of multitasking, those that do not involve as much concentration and helps block everything else out (such as listening to music), that do not have as negative effects as other tasks. I can see why multitasking would result in time inefficiency and shallower depth processing but I would also imagine that, with time, multitasking could also be beneficial to the brain. You would think that the more multitasking you do, the better and faster your brain would be able to switch between different tasks, strengthening and increasing the speed of neural paths. In regards to the studies that multitasking could lead to a loss of analytical skills, I wonder if introducing multitasking at a later age, once analytical skills have had time to develop, would still result in such a loss. However, as the article says, young adults are better at multitasking and if introducing multitasking at a later age means that they are not able to multitask as well (compared to if they had started multitasking at an earlier age), does that mean that we have to choose between our ability to multitask or our ability to analyze?
Comment by Elizabeth Ngo — March 21, 2012 @ 11:17 pm
Generation M might be known for multi-tasking more, not because we can do it better, but because there is an ever-increasing amount of tasks we can perform at once, with the introduction and development of technology. Someone could not be talking to multiple friends, watching television, and be listening to music year ago, because of technological restrictions. It will certainly be interesting to see future research done on the effects of this increased multitasking, and whether or not the following generation will continue, increase, or decrease this trend.
Comment by Michael Haugbro — April 1, 2012 @ 8:37 pm
I think it would be appropriate to mention the idea of restricted attentional capacity, which is a term coined by Joliceur. In his experiment about testing the identification of two letters while music was in the background, proved the brain had limits. The limit is basically one input at a time, and interestingly enough, a sort of contradiction arises.
What both theories (the one you mentioned and his), don’t really explain why people still multi-task if it’s ineffective. I personally want to say it’s a time saver but if its proven to be ineffective, then why would people still attempt to focus on so many things at once?
Brynie, F. The Madness of Multitasking . Psychology Today. Retrieved April 28, 2012, from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/brain-sense/200908/the-madness-multitasking
Joliceur, P., & Brisson, B. (2007). Multitasking processing deficits revealed by event-related potentials. Psychophysiology, 44, 323-333.
Comment by Manrose Singh — April 30, 2012 @ 11:18 pm
I don’t think many believe that multi-tasking actually involves the performing of multiple activities at once. Rather, the ability to maintain progress in multiple tasks over a short period of time, relatively speaking, as was brought up by the article.
For example, we can compare our mental concentration to our optical concentration (often times the same thing). When watching an epic fight scene you watch both the villain and the hero, only looking at one at a time, but shooting back-and-forth between the two. However, when you rethink that fight scene you re-imagine the fight scene with both persons together, fighting simultaneously.
Comment by CJ Logan — May 1, 2012 @ 4:11 am
It seems that multi-tasking has become a way of life. In today’s world, many products are emerging whose purpose is to allow one to do two things at once. For example, bluetooth allows one to talk on the phone without having to hold the phone up to your ear, which limits the activities you can do without both hands available. iPhones now allow one to have multiple web pages up at the same time and shortcuts for scrolling between them. You can respond to text messages while talking on the phone, thus communicating with multiple people at the same time. Furthermore, multi-tasking has become a selling point for many products. A lot of marketing and advertisement techniques have come to revolve around efficiency and how a certain product can be used while doing other things.
While there is definitely something to be said about the time in which we live and the increasing need to be able to multi-task, we must keep in mind that multi-tasking comes easier and more natural to some people. We must consider how various personalities have to do with one’s ability to multi-task. In Rosenman & Freidmans’ Key Study, it is revealed that there is a correlation between people with Type-A personality and one’s being increasingly prone to multi-tasking. This makes sense considering people with Type-A personality are generally extremely ambitious and obsessed with time management. Also, people with extraverted personalities tend to multi-task more often than introverts. According to Carol Kallendorf, PhD., reported through her studies of Myers-Briggs, “Many Extraverts state that they love multi-tasking.”
Sources:
Type A personality: Rosenman & Freidmans Key Study. (http://ibpsychology.wetpaint.com/page/Type+A+personality%3A+Rosenman+%26+Freidmans+Key+Study)
“Multi-tasking and Personality Type.” Carol Kallendorf, PhD. Retrieved from BizWatchOnline Nutrition. Web. 01 May 2012. (http://www.bizwatchonline.com/Archive/August_2001/multitasking_personality_type.htm).
Comment by Ashley Powell — May 1, 2012 @ 7:43 pm
It’s very interesting that while the adverse effects of multitasking are so well-documented, people continue to try and complete many tasks at the same time. There is not only the illusion of getting more done in a shorter amount of time, as has been stated above, but also the confidence boost. I’ve found that many people pride themselves on their self-proclaimed ability to multitask and believe there to be a correlation between intelligence and the amount of information it appears one’s brain can grasp at a given moment. In pop culture and in day-to-day interactions with fellow students, multitasking is sometimes portrayed as a bit of a superpower, along with other less-than-important “skills” such as the ability to function on as little sleep as possible.
Comment by Elizabeth Rosenbaum — October 10, 2012 @ 4:16 pm
I am part of the M Generation and yes this is very true especially lately I have been getting lower and lower grades as technology advances. I don’t know what to do. If this M Generation continues there is definitely going to be a negative effect. How sad.
Comment by Erik — December 12, 2012 @ 2:01 am
I wonder how the concept of multitasking relates to playing instruments. I have always been personally challenged by instruments that require two rhythms or melodies at once. I cannot play piano with both hands or drums with the bass drum pedal. I am curious if this has to do with multitasking and its previously stated pitfalls or if it is more of a coordination factor. Furthermore, this leads me to question what exactly is multitasking. When does a complex skill become doing two things at once? Do skills, like playing intricate piano pieces, have the same negative effects that multitasking do or are they beneficial?
Comment by Anon — April 15, 2013 @ 7:38 pm
Wow, as someone who multi-tasks all the time, this post was really insightful. I’m wondering though; does the brain reward you for multi-tasking at all? It’s just that whenever I have to do a boring assignment, I feel like I have to watch a movie while doing it. Doing both makes me happier and more motivated to finish the assignment. Sure, it takes me longer to finish, but I would have procrastinated on the task anyway.
Comment by psych 105 student — May 17, 2013 @ 2:11 pm