Case Incident 1 MULTITASKING: A GOOD USE OF YOUR TIME I. Background Multitasking- dong two o !

o " t#ings at on$"% o a&idl' swit$#ing ( o! on" task to anot#" ) is a $#a a$t" isti$ o( t#" Mill"nnia g"n" ation* On" "$"nt stud' "+"al"d t#at du ing a t'&i$al w""k% ,- &" $"nt o( 'oung &"o&l" "&o t .!"dia !ultitasking/ at l"ast so!" o( t#" ti!"* Man' &"o&l" w#o !ultitask sa' it !ak"s t#"! !o " "((i$i"nt% #ow+" "s"a $# sugg"sts !ultitasking is in"((i$i"nt% t#at it a$tuall' tak"s long" to do two t#ings at on$"* Multitasking a&&"a s to "sult in ad+" s" out$o!"s 0"'ond in"((i$i"n$'* Anot#" stud' (ound !ultitask" s a0so 0 !at" ial !o " su&" (i$iall'% t#"' noti$" !o " t#ings in t#"i "n+i on!"nt 0ut a " a0l" to l"a n !at" ial l"ss d""&l'*

II. Study/Analysis Study Questions: 1. One expert who studied ultitasking calls it !a "ig illusion#$ arguing that ultitaskers think they are ore oti%ated and producti%e e%en when they aren&t. 'o you consider yoursel( a ultitasker) I( so# does this case ake you reconsider whether ultitasking akes you ore oti%ated or producti%e) T#" 1-st $"ntu ' is $#a a$t" i2" as t#" digital !ill"nnia on w#i$# al!ost "+" 't#ing is tu ning in (ast &a$"* 3"o&l" toda' t"nd to do t#ings in #ast" t# oug# t#" aid o( t"$#nolog'* T#is !ak"s !ultitasking +" ' & "+al"nt in t#" wo k(o $" o( toda'* I also !ultitask in !' da' to da' li("% in wo k o at #o!"* Lik" !ost o( !' &"" s in t#" o((i$"% I #a+" !' $"ll &#on" 0"sid" !" so I $an "s&ond to t"4ts w#il" I a! 0us' & "&a ing !' l"ssons and su (ing t#" int" n"t% at t#" sa!" ti!" !onito ing !' "!ail add "ss"s and &" iodi$all' $#"$king t#" status o( t#" so(twa " & og a!s% w"0sit"s t#at I $ "at"d and u&load it onlin"* T#is #ow I do t#ings on a dail' 0asis% as a !att" o( (a$t w#il" I5! w iting t#is $as" stud' I5! $u "ntl' att"nding to !' stud"nts as a & o$to o( t#"i "4a!* I $an sa' t#at I5! a !od" at" !ultitask" swit$#ing to di((" "nt tasks ( o! ti!" to ti!"* I (""l & odu$ti+" t#oug# so!"ti!"s I (""l so d ain"d and st "ss 0"$aus" o( t#" t#ings t#at I5! doing all at on$"* E+"n i( I #a+" !' ( "" ti!" still I $ontinu" to wo k and l"a n n"w 3 og a!!ing Languag"s to "n#an$" !o " !' IT skills% alt#oug# it #"l& !" a lot 0ut I do (""l t#at t#" " is so!"t#ing w ong wit# w#at I5! doing* A(t" "ading

t#is $as"% it !ak"s !" s"$ond t#oug#t i( w#"t#" !ultitasking is "all' good (o !"% o do"s it !ak"s !" & odu$ti+" o not* 2. The effects of multitasking have been found to be more negative when the tasks are complex. Why do you think this is the case? It is t u" t#at !ultitasking #as tak"n o+" ou dail' li+"s6 it !ak"s us (""l to t#" &oint t#at w" 0"$a!" 0o "d i( w" t"nd to do 7ust on" t#ing at a ti!"* A$$o ding to studi"s o( s$i"ntists% t#"' dis$o+" "d t#at doing di((" "nt t#ings at t#" sa!" ti!" $ "at"s a isk' !i4tu " o( 0 ain & o0l"!s% ( o! s"+" " st "ss and ag" in adults to l"a ning & o0l"!s and autis!-lik" 0"#a+io in $#ild "n* Multitasking !ak"s us l"ss "((i$i"nt* T#" #u!an 0 ain do"sn5t !ulti-task lik" an "4&" t 7uggl" 6 it swit$#"s ( anti$all' 0"tw""n tasks lik" a 0ad a!at"u &lat"-s&inn" * T#" $onstant "((o t t#is "8ui "s !"ans t#at doing "+"n 7ust two o t# "" t#ings at on$" &uts (a !o " d"!and on ou 0 ains $o!&a "d wit# i( w" did t#"! on" a(t" anot#" * T#" &ion"" o( t#is "s"a $# is 3 o("sso Ea l Mill" % a n"u os$i"ntist at t#" wo ld"nown"d Massa$#us"tts Institut" o( T"$#nolog'* 9" s$ann"d +olunt"" s #"ads w#il" t#"' &" (o !"d di((" "nt tasks and (ound t#at w#"n t#" " is a g ou& o( +isual sti!ulants in ( ont o( 'ou% onl' on" o two t#ings t"nd to a$ti+at" 'ou 0 ain% indi$ating w"5 " "all' onl' (o$using on on" o two it"!s* :igg" & o0l"! o$$u s w#"n w" t ' to $on$"nt at" on a $o!&l"4 task w" a " d"aling wit#% 0"$aus" t#is t#"n $aus"s an o+" load o( t#" 0 ains & o$"ssing $a&a$it'* *. You might think multitasking makes you happy. While there is less research on this topic, some evidence suggests multitaskers feel more stress in their work. ultitaskers !feel a constant low"level panic.#$o you agree why or why not? :as" on "s"a $# !ultitasking "all' low" s 0 ain &ow" % it !ak"s 0 ain slow" on so ting out di((" "nt d"$isions at t#" sa!" ti!"* I "all' ag "" t#at !ultitasking !ak"s us (""l !o " st "ss t#at doing on" singl" task at t#" sa!" ti!"* An A!" i$an stud' "&o t"d in t#" ;ou nal O( E4&" i!"ntal 3s'$#olog' (ound t#at it took stud"nts (a long" to sol+" $o!&li$at"d !at#s & o0l"!s w#"n t#"' #ad to swit$# to ot#" tasks - in (a$t% t#"' w" " u& to <= &" $"nt slow" * T#" sa!" stud' also (ound !ultitasking #as a n"gati+" &#'si$al "(("$t% & o!&ting t#" "l"as" o( st "ss #o !on"s and ad "nalin"* T#is $an t igg" a +i$ious $'$l"% w#" " w" wo k #a d at !ulti-tasking% tak" long" to g"t t#ings don"% t#"n (""l st "ss"d% #a i"d and $o!&"ll"d to !ulti-task !o "* Studi"s 0' Glo ia Ma k% an int" u&tion s$i"ntist at t#" Uni+" sit' o( >ali(o nia% s#ow t#at w#"n &"o&l" a " ( "8u"ntl' di+" t"d ( o! on" task to anot#" % t#"' wo k (ast" % 0ut & odu$" l"ss* A(t" 1= !inut"s o( int" u&t"d &" (o !an$"% &"o&l" "&o t signi(i$antl' #ig#" st "ss l"+"ls% ( ust ation% wo kload% "((o t and & "ssu "*

III.+e(erences #tt&:??www*dail'!ail*$o*uk?#"alt#?a ti$l"--1=@AAB?Is-!ulti-tasking-0ad-0 ain-E4&" ts- "+"al#idd"n-&" ils-7uggling-7o0s*#t!l #tt&:??www*(o 0"s*$o!?sit"s? og" ka'?1=-1?=C?=A?!ultitasking-good-o -0ad?