By Brent Reed, Pharm.D.,
BCPS, Assistant Professor, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy
As
you read this blog, how many technologies are competing for your attention?
Perhaps your phone is sitting nearby, buzzing intermittently with the arrival
of a new text message. Or a popup has just alerted you to the 17 new emails anxiously
awaiting you in your email inbox. Indeed,
the neverending competition for our attention has become almost ubiquitous. You can set “push” notifications for
everything from up-to-the-minute scores of your favorite football team to the dessert
photos your friend just posted to Instagram. The ability to manage these interruptions—often
termed media multitasking—is the only
way to survive in an increasingly technologically advanced society. Or is it?
A growing body of evidence now suggests that multitasking is detrimental
in many ways. Some researchers contend
that humans are incapable of
performing multiple cognitive tasks at one time. What we perceive as multitasking is
essentially rapid “task switching.”1
For
many young adults, especially those in the millennial generation, media
multitasking is a way of life. In a
survey of undergraduate students published in 2010, Smith, et al. found that 4
out of every 5 owned a laptop computer and nearly two-thirds owned a mobile
device capable of accessing the Internet.2 The overwhelming majority of young adults consider themselves excellent
multitaskers, but studies indicate that individuals who proclaim themselves to
be the most capable are actually the worst at multitasking.3 So too are those who most frequently
multitask.4 Nevertheless, the growing
prevalence of technologies that enable media multitasking has had a significant
impact in a variety of areas of our lives.
The classroom and other learning environments are no exceptions.
Impact of Multitasking on Cognitive
Processing
Numerous
studies have investigated the impact of multitasking on cognitive performance,
with many of them being published long before the widespread use of mobile
devices. Although investigations date back to the mid-20th century, several
studies in the 1990s demonstrated that divided attention impairs the process of
encoding information, thereby reducing cognitive performance and the quality of
information stored.5 In contrast, divided attention
has only minimal impact on memory retrieval, although it comes at a significant
cost in terms of reaction time and performance on secondary tasks.6,7 In more practical terms, attending to multiple tasks at a time may
overload the mind’s cognitive capacity, impairing awareness, decision-making
skills, and overall performance. For health care professionals, these
consequences are especially dire, as multitasking has been highlighted by the
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) as being detrimental to work performance
and posing a risk to patient safety.8–10
Multitasking and Learning
In
their cognitive theory of multimedia learning, Meyer et al. describe three
assumptions about how the mind processes information: (1) auditory and visual
processing occurs via two separate channels, (2) each channel has limited
processing capacity, and (3) learning requires considerable cognitive
processing.11 They also propose that cognitive demands may be classified as essential processing (required for
comprehension of the material to be learned), incidental processing (information unrelated to the material to be
learned), and representational holding
(auditory or visual representations retained in working memory). One or more of these demands can overwhelm
processing capacity, a phenomenon they term cognitive
overload. The most significant
danger to learning is when the incidental processing (e.g., text messaging,
browsing Facebook or Pinterest) outstrips the far more taxing capacities
required for essential processing and representational holding of educational
material.
A
number of recent studies have investigated how media multitasking impacts
educational outcomes. In a study of nearly 2000 undergraduate students at a
public university, over two-thirds of respondents reported text messaging
during class, while another one-third reported using Facebook.12 Although the frequency of multitasking during class was negatively
correlated with grade point average, this trend was driven primarily by multitasking
for social activities (e.g., text messaging, Facebook). In a smaller but randomized study of
undergraduate students (n=38-40), multitasking on a laptop during class was
associated with 11% lower test scores (p=0.003). Worse still, students who were distracted by
the multitaskers’ laptops were also negatively impacted, scoring 17% lower on
tests (p=0.001).
Implications for Learners
Although
technology can enrich the learning experience, the evidence suggests that its
use for unrelated tasks can have a detrimental impact on educational outcomes. Since
mobile devices and other communication technologies are here to stay (can we
possibly imagine a world without them?), learners must develop strategies for
their responsible use in instructional settings, such as:
- Understanding the impact that media multitasking can have on information processing. This is especially important for future health care professionals, as the knowledge and skills obtained in school are required for providing care to patients.
- Recognizing that the magnitude of its impact is related to both the frequency of use and specific media applications used. Learners should minimize social activities in instructional settings, as these appear to have the most detrimental impact on performance. Educational activities (e.g., searching the web for a topic presented in class, viewing multimedia related to course material) appear to have minimal to no impact on academic performance.
- Be aware that media multitasking during class may impair the academic performance of fellow learners.
Implications for Educators
Educators
are expected to create environments that cultivate learning, so efforts should
be made to minimize the detrimental impact of media multitasking in the
classroom. Although a ban on devices has
been implemented by some instructors,14 this is likely to be met with dismay—not to mention abysmal student
evaluations. A less heavy handed
approach is perhaps needed. In addition
to making learners aware of how media multitasking can impair learning, the
following strategies should be considered:
- Incorporating technology in a way that engages learners and overcomes the lure of unrelated media multitasking.
- Providing a diverse mixture of materials and interactive activities, some of which may include media multitasking, such as asking learners to search for online videos that help explain a complex topic.
- Developing policies for wireless access; a balanced strategy might include designating a period at the beginning of class for downloading notes or presentation slides, responding to emails, or engaging in social media activities, then limiting wireless access during periods of instruction.
- Creating “zones” for those individuals using laptops and other devices in order to minimize the impact of media multitasking on adjacent learners.
Conclusions
The
use of laptops, mobile devices, and other communication technologies have
become an integral part of everyday life, but their use in instructional
settings appears to have a negative impact on learning outcomes, especially
when multitasking is used for social purposes.
However, these challenges provide an opportunity for dialogue between
educators and learners, so that a strategy for effectively and responsibly
incorporating technology can be developed—one that engages students and
improves the learning experience while minimizing its detrimental impact on
educational outcomes.
For those who found it
challenging to read this entire essay without multitasking…
tl;dr: media multitasking
widespread, negatively impacts learning; learners, educators should identify
strategies for appropriate use; examples provided.
References
1. Rubinstein
JS, Meyer DE, Evans JE. Executive control of cognitive processes in task
switching. J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform 2001;27(4):763–97.
2. ECAR Study of Undergraduate
Students and Information Technology, 2010 | EDUCAUSE.edu [Internet]. [cited
2013 Sep 7];Available from:
http://www.educause.edu/library/resources/ecar-study-undergraduate-students-and-information-technology-2010
3. Sanbonmatsu DM, Strayer DL, Medeiros-Ward N, Watson JM. Who Multi-Tasks and Why? Multi-Tasking Ability, Perceived Multi-Tasking Ability, Impulsivity, and Sensation Seeking. PLoS ONE 2013;8(1):e54402.
3. Sanbonmatsu DM, Strayer DL, Medeiros-Ward N, Watson JM. Who Multi-Tasks and Why? Multi-Tasking Ability, Perceived Multi-Tasking Ability, Impulsivity, and Sensation Seeking. PLoS ONE 2013;8(1):e54402.
4. Ophir E, Nass C, Wagner AD.
Cognitive control in media multitaskers. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
2009;106(37):15583–7.
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H. Effects of divided attention on encoding and retrieval processes in human
memory: Further support for an asymmetry. J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn
1998;24(5):1091–104.
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8. Weigl M, Müller A, Sevdalis N,
Angerer P. Relationships of multitasking, physicians’ strain, and performance:
an observational study in ward physicians. J Patient Saf 2013;9(1):18–23.
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Multitasking Mishap. AORN J 2013;98(2):208–115.
11. Mayer RE, Moreno R. Nine Ways to
Reduce Cognitive Load in Multimedia Learning. Educ Psychol 2003;38(1):43–52.
12. Junco R. In-class multitasking and
academic performance. Comput Hum Behav 2012;28(6):2236–43.
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effects on student learning. Comput Educ 2008;50(3):906–14.
14. Ban laptops in class [Internet]. Duke
Chron. [cited 2013 Aug 29];Available from:
http://www.dukechronicle.com/article/ban-laptops-class
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