Multitasking: Technically Impossible
These days it seems like everyone is always trying to multitask.
It’s certainly possible to fold laundry while talking on the phone, or ride a bike while listening to music, but it just doesn’t work well to attempt two tasks that involve brain power at once.
Why? Our brains can hold only five to nine things in their short-term memories, so when someone’s trying to accomplish two dissimilar tasks that both require some level of thought and attention, that’s where the “multitasking” ends and the switching from one task to another begins. And when information doesn’t make it into the short-term memory, it can’t make it into long-term memory to be recalled later.
Since many people try to learn from what they are doing, multitasking doesn’t make them more efficient; it actually hurts, not helps. According to some researchers, multitasking can reduce productivity by about 40 percent and switching from one task to another makes it difficult to tune out distractions.
So why does everyone multitask, anyway? Probably because they think they’re good at it. Researchers at the University of Utah wanted to find out which personalities were more likely to try completing two tasks at once. They hypothesized that people who tested high for traits like risk-taking and impulsivity would be confident in their multitasking abilities.
The research showed they were correct. They also noticed that the people who multitask on a regular basis were actually much worse at managing tasks. “People don’t multitask because they’re good at it,” David Sanbonmatsu, leader of the study, explained. “They do it because they are more distracted. They have trouble inhibiting the impulse to do another activity.”
The next time you realize you’re trying to multitask, stop for a second, and think about it. Is one of those things–for example, studying–more important than the rest? If so, try to focus on that one task and leave the rest for later. Your brain–and your grades–will thank you.
This post was written by 8th grade Florida Virtual School student Amanda Fischer. Amanda is a member of the FLVS Newspaper Club and recently had this article published in “News in a Click,” the club’s online newspaper written by students for students.
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Well argued and sourced, Amanda! One question relevant to the field of online education–how can virtual schools and f2f partners cut down on both attempted multitasking by students who have been led to believe it’s a good idea, and also cyberloafing? Could implementation of keystroke tracking software address these problems, while also raising the academic validity of online courses?