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Multitasking:

The Attraction of Distraction

Clare Ann Ronquillo

Kapi’olani Community College

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Multitasking: The Attraction of Distraction

Multitasking is often referred to as mental juggling where an individual constantly

juggles multiple tasks at once. Addressing the topic of multitasking is important as it directly

affects college students in every way possible. Before making multitasking a main form of

productivity, college students must consider any potential consequences that may arise. The

proposed study is designed to address the conditions in which multitasking may impair a college

student’s rote memorization. Researchers have identified that visual tasks are a specific area in

need of study, including actively storing auditory messages in memory which may be additional

interference when an individual is presented with multiple tasks (Kasper, Cecotti, Touryan,

Eckstein, & Giesbrecht, 2014).

Recent overviews of the literature suggest that multitasking can both increase and

decrease productivity, time management is more effective than multitasking, and the more an

individual tune into a task, the easier it is for them to be distracted if they must work on

something else at the same time. According to Ralph, their research supports the notion that

individuals have a hard time engaging in just one task, and rather switches their attention to

multiple tasks causing them to become rather distracted (Ralph, Thomson, Cheyne, & Smilek,

2014). Additionally, presenting an auditory and visual task simultaneously affected the auditory

task at hand while the visual task remained unaffected. The researchers found that the ability to

multitask was based upon the type of tasks performed. If someone was given an auditory and

visual task at the same time, then they would focus on the visual task but completely disregard

the auditory task. However, if they were given just the auditory task or just the visual task

individually, the findings indicated that just simply doing one task did not affect the other in

comparison to doing both tasks at once.

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In fact, multitasking is prominent in our every day lives. Although we may be easily

distracted, there are certain circumstances where multitasking has no drastic effect or

consequences. Take reading comprehension for example. If presented multiple schemas, the

participants were more likely to get distracted. If presented with only a single schema, the

participants did not seem to be affected much (Cho, Altarriba, & Popiel, 2015). This research

indicated that if the participants were already used to multitasking, it reduces the cost of

multitasking when doing something important. In another study, it was implicated that

multitasking does not seem to affect a person when they were interrupted occasionally while

studying (Pashler, Kang, & Ip, 2013). If the ultimate goal of the participant is to maximize

performance, one should not multitask. However, if the task at hand required the participant to

study multiple subjects at once, multitasking while doing these schoolwork was fairly harmless.

The focus of the proposed study is on the cognitive aspect of the participants, in relation

to their ability to memorize things while multitasking and be able to effectively retrieve that

same information afterwards. In other words, those who memorize certain things without any

distractions afterwards will be capable of retrieving more information. An interruption can place

people in a situation where they must switch between or work on multiple tasks simultaneously

which could affect their productivity. The idea that college students multitasking homework and

entertainment leads to a decline in productivity spurs from the students’ inability to focus on two

or more things at once. The research hypothesis of the present study is that, in a memory task,

students who have to multitask will remember significantly less items than students who do not

have to multitask.
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Method

Participants

There will be at least 20 participants in this study. Majority of the participants will be

students taken from a class at Kapiolani Community College and are currently enrolled in a

Psychology 212 course. The remaining participants will be a sample of convenience who may be

outsiders to the course.

Materials

The materials that will be used for this study includes a standardized stopwatch, a stack

of papers with a set of 8 digits, and scratch paper.

Stopwatch. A standardized stopwatch will be used to record the time for each session.

The stopwatch includes a “start/stop” and “reset” button. The time displayed on the stopwatch is

read in minutes, seconds, and milliseconds. All times will be recorded to the minute, and

recorded in a table.

Paper. There will be two sets of paper to be used in the study. Each paper will consist of

10 numbers printed in size 20 Times New Roman font. Each paper will be color coded to

indicate which paper belongs to which group; either control or experimental group.

Procedure

In order to test the hypothesis, participants will be randomized into either a control group

or an experimental group (Groups A and B). A randomization tool from the website

www.random.org, will be used to assign individuals to either group. Both groups will memorize

a string of numbers for two minutes, in which the control group will only do memorization. For
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the experimental group, they will have a jan ken po (rock, paper, scissors) match while

memorizing the string of numbers. Additionally, a short video clip will be played on the

overhead during the memorization period. After the allowed time, both groups will have to write

down the numbers they memorized.

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References

Adler, R. F., Benbunan-Fich, R. (2015). The effects of task difficulty and multitasking on

performance. Interacting with Computers, 27(4), 430-439. doi.org/10.1093/iwc/iwu005

Alkahtani, M., Ahmad, A., Darmoul, S., Samman, S., Al-zabidi, A., Bamatraf, K. (2016).

Multitasking trends and impact on education: A literature review. International Science

Index, Educational and Psychological Sciences, 10(3), 995-1001.

American Psychological Association. (2006, March 20). Multitasking: Switching costs.

Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/research/action/multitask.aspx

Cho, K. W., Altarriba, J., & Popiel, M. (2015). Mental juggling: When does multitasking impair

reading comprehension?.  Journal Of General Psychology, 142(2), 90-105. doi:

10.1080/00221309.2014.1003029.

Kasper, R. W., Cecotti, H., Touryan, J., Eckstein, M. P., & Giesbrecht, B. (2014). Isolating the

neural mechanisms of interference during continuous multisensory dual-task

performance. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 26(3), 476-489.

doi:10.1162/jocn_a_00480

Pashler, H., Kang, S. K., & Ip, R. Y. (2013). Does multitasking impair studying? Depends on

timing. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 27(5), 593-599. doi:10.1002/acp.2919

Ralph, B., Thomson, D., Cheyne, J., & Smilek, D. (2014). Media multitasking and failures of

attention in everyday life. Psychological Research, 78(5), 661-669. doi:10.1007/s00426-

013-0523-7
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Appendix A: Non-Conflicting Memorization

String of Numbers. Participants will be given 2 minutes to memorize this string of

numbers and 1 minute to write down what was memorized.

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Appendix B: Conflicting Memorization

String of Numbers. Participants will be given 2 minutes to memorize this string of

numbers and 1 minute to write down what was memorized.

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Jan Ken Po (Rock Paper Scissors). During the memorization period, participants will

be paired off and will be asked to tally up their points throughout the course of the game.

Video Clip. During the memorization period, participants will watch a short clip from

YouTube while playing the game of jan ken po. The participants will also be asked to count the

number of times they hear Japanese words or phrases from the video.
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Consent

This experiment will not have any risk or delayed negative outcomes. Participants can

withdraw from the experiment if compelled to do so.

Debrief

The goal of this experiment is to test whether participants can memorize something

presented before them while performing other tasks. Both groups are asked to memorize a string

of numbers for two minutes, while one of the groups were asked to play rock, paper, scissors,

and watch a video during the memorization period. After the given two minutes, both groups are

asked to write down the digits that were memorized. Overall, the focus is on the mind’s ability of

recollection when asked to recall something after different stimuli are introduced. This

experiment will not lead to any negative or traumatic experiences in the future. However,

participants are urged to ask questions about any concerns.