If you feel you are one of those people who is better than others at multitasking then welcome to the majority. Some recent research at the University of Utah says 70% of people feel they are better than average at multitasking. An astute statistician will immediately recognize a problem here; it is impossible for 70% of people to be better than the average. Clearly some of the study subjects were over-confident in their abilities.
The research also highlighted other disheartening news for self-reported exceptional multitaskers. Those who multitask the most are generally the worst at it, while the people who are more capable at multitasking have a tendency to avoid it. The better multitaskers apparently prefer to focus on one thing at a time.
People who reported greater frequency in multitasking demonstrated more impulsivity and sensation seeking behavior. They were more distractible and susceptible to boredom. The exception to this trend were those who multitasked by talking on mobile phones while driving. These people tended to be less impulsive, and the researchers say this indicates that phone use while driving is a more premeditated and deliberate choice.
The multitasking research was presented January 23, 2013 by psychology professors David Sanbonmatsu and David Strayer in an online journal of the Public Library of Science. They performed the study on 310 volunteer psychology undergraduates who donated their time in exchange for extra credit. The astute statistician may notice another problem here. Is it logical to assume that undergraduate psychology students averaging 21 years old, and bribed to participate in a study are representative of everyone? Wouldn't such a group of young adults tend to overestimate their abilities in many areas beyond just multitasking?
It will be up to you, the reader, to decide how much credence we should give this study and its applicability to your own multitasking ability.
Comments