Cognitive Control in Media Multitaskers

Chronic media multitasking is quickly becoming ubiquitous, although processing multiple incoming streams of information is considered a challenge for human cognition. A series of experiments addressed whether there are systematic differences in information processing styles between chronically heavy...

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Published inProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 106; no. 37; pp. 15583 - 15587
Main Authors Ophir, Eyal, Nass, Clifford, Wagner, Anthony D., Posner, Michael I.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States National Academy of Sciences 15.09.2009
National Acad Sciences
SeriesFrom the Cover
Subjects
Adolescent
Attention - physiology
Cognition & reasoning
Cognition - physiology
Experimental psychology
Experiments
False alarms
Female
Humans
Information processing
Male
Media
Media use
Memory
Memory - physiology
Memory interference
Mental Processes - physiology
Mental stimulation
Multimedia
Multitasking
Personality
Questionnaires
Rectangles
Social Sciences
Standard deviation
Surveys and Questionnaires
Task Performance and Analysis
Working memory
Young Adult
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Summary:Chronic media multitasking is quickly becoming ubiquitous, although processing multiple incoming streams of information is considered a challenge for human cognition. A series of experiments addressed whether there are systematic differences in information processing styles between chronically heavy and light media multitaskers. A trait media multitasking index was developed to identify groups of heavy and light media multitaskers. These two groups were then compared along established cognitive control dimensions. Results showed that heavy media multitaskers are more susceptible to interference from irrelevant environmental stimuli and from irrelevant representations in memory. This led to the surprising result that heavy media multitaskers performed worse on a test of task-switching ability, likely due to reduced ability to filter out interference from the irrelevant task set. These results demonstrate that media multitasking, a rapidly growing societal trend, is associated with a distinct approach to fundamental information processing.
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Edited by Michael I. Posner, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, and approved July 20, 2009
Author contributions: E.O., C.N., and A.D.W. designed research; E.O. performed research; E.O. and C.N. analyzed data; and E.O., C.N., and A.D.W. wrote the paper.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.0903620106