Preview

Multi-Tasking: Beneficial or Detrimental?

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1496 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Multi-Tasking: Beneficial or Detrimental?
Multi-tasking: Beneficial or Detrimental?
Today, multitasking is found everywhere with a huge variety of situational settings. Multitasking can be argued to mean different things to all individuals. Nonetheless, there is a lack of real comprehension of the complications involving multitasking. I plan to provide insight into what multitasking implies and means. My research will present how multitasking is preformed in both observational and personal combinations. This essay will explore the concept of switching form one undertaking to another and provide a relational view on multitasking in today’s environment.
I was at work the other day when I decided to put my multitasking skills to the test. I came up with the idea to challenge myself within the course of two days. On day #1, I decided to go about my day as I normally did: taking multiple projects that came my way and working on all of them simultaneously. On day #2, I planned on still taking on multiple projects, but only devoting my complete attention to only one task at a time. Day #1 felt to me like what I always did. My manager gave me a few projects to complete by the end of the day and I would get started as soon as I could. As I worked, I had to continually stop, as customers’ needs would arise. Then I would have to head back and continue my project until interrupted. This would happen multiple times throughout the day, on top of getting called up to the cash registers. I found it frustrating; all I wanted to do was finish my projects! After awhile the end of my shift had approached and it was time for my workday to come to an end. The projects I had started were not complete, resulting in me coming in an hour early the next day. On day #2, I had to complete my projects from the previous day and I was determined to have a better start. As I started on my first project, I was paged to the cash register numerous times, but politely asked my coworker to take my place. More and more projects were getting



Cited: American Psychological Association, Multitasking: Switching costs. March 20, 2006. Web. Feb, 2013. http://www.apa.org/research/action/multitask.aspx Bradley, Matt. Personal interview. 4/10/13 Meyer, D. Rogers, R. & Monsell, S. (1995). The costs of a predictable switch between simple cognitive tasks. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 124, 207-231. Rubinstein, Joshua S.; Meyer, David E.; Evans, Jeffrey E. (2001). Executive Control of Cognitive Processes in Task Switching. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 27(4), 763-797. Smith, Jenner. Personal interview. 4/10/13 Tugand, Alina. Multitasking Can Make You Lose ... Um ... Focus. The New York Times. October 24, 2008. B7. Print.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    I have always had this idea that me being a mono-tasker makes me seem less intelligent than your average texting-and-driving, tweeting-and-doing homework multitaskers. However, after watching the short videos, and the PBS documentary, I am reassured that multitasking is not always a good skill to have, not when you're doing something that requires cognitive skills and physical effort (math, writing, studying, driving).…

    • 318 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Myth of Multitasking

    • 279 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Myth of Multitasking, an article by Christine Rosen expresses peoples’ attempt to work like computers; executing multiple tasks concurrently in a shorter time span. Multitasking is the ability to swing attentions in between tasks by evaluating the importance of the tasks on hand and prioritising them.…

    • 279 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    It is an illusion that multitasking helps us do different things simultaneously where in fact we are sacrificing focus.…

    • 382 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Summary Paper

    • 763 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Since the early 1990’s multitasking has been thought of as an efficient way of saving time in our busy everyday lives. Emailing and chatting with multiple people at once online, watching television and talking on the phone are a couple of examples of how people tend to juggle multiple tasks.…

    • 763 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    "Multitasking Leads to Distracted Driving." Distracted Driving. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. At Issue. Rpt. from "Multitasking Mania and Distracted Driving." Edmunds.com. 2009. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 6 Mar. 2013.…

    • 1720 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Multitasking is working on multiple things at one time. Researchers say that when a person works on one thing at a time, also known as monotasking, the two frontal lobe's work together for this one task, but when there are two tasks each frontal lobe works…

    • 632 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the first essay, How (and Why) to Stop Multitasking, the author presents a case against multitasking. The author starts by telling the reader about a past experience with multitasking. He goes on to describe how he had to send three emails in order to convey his message to a client because he was distracted on the phone at the same…

    • 599 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Task Switching

    • 1042 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Throughout the day, people constantly find themselves starting, stopping and finishing many different cognitive tasks. This study was conducted to discover the effect that task switching has on performance. Thirty eight students participated in this experiment. They were asked to complete both repeating and switching tasks. The 100 total tasks were fully randomized with 50 task repeating and 50 task switching. It was hypothesized that when a participant will be asked to switch a task over repeating one, he or she will be significantly slower in reacting. The collected data revealed that in fact, the reaction time for task switching trials was significantly higher than for repeating ones. These findings supported the hypothesis. One can conclude from here that when one switches between cognitive tasks they can expect themselves to perform less than optimally then when they repeat the same task over and over.…

    • 1042 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Writing with Readings. Richard Bullock and Maureen Daly Goggin. New York, London: W.W. Norton & Company, 2013.714-718.…

    • 1070 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Hooked On Gadgets

    • 119 Words
    • 1 Page

    In the article “Hooked on Gadgets and Paying a Mental Price” by Matt Richtel, we learn about the effects of being consumed by technology as well as multitasking. In the article, Richtel provides us with a real life example of the Campbell’s, and how Mr. Campbell’s addiction almost cost him a lucrative contract for his startup company. Also, we learn about how he could not even enjoy a family vacation without having his technological fix. Richtel also gives us hard scientific facts about the effects of technology and multitasking, such as the fact that multitaskers are less likely to be able to sort out irrelevant information and that multitaskers do worse when trying to juggle between tasks.…

    • 119 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Multitasking can be prevented by self-control. In the marshmallow test this test was a result of self-control and obedience. Children were given a marshmallow and was told if they could wait 15 minutes without eating the marshmallow, then they would be rewarded with two marshmallows. This test was proven that the ones who had self-control were more likely successful in life compared to the ones who couldn’t…

    • 334 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Multitask

    • 732 Words
    • 3 Pages

    People want to be productive for what they do in their limited time. So it is quite easy to see people try multitasking. For instance, you might have seen some people who are reading a book while they are walking on a treadmill at a gym. You might have wanted to listen to music when you are driving and also might have also wanted to check your cell phone messages. All these can be examples of multitasking. Gingerich and Lineweaver (2013) conducted two experiments in class by using randomly assigned two groups of participants. The first group was required to send a text message that was a prescribed conversation during a brief lecture while the other group was refrained from texting during the same lecture. Post-lecture quiz was conducted and the scores of texting group were low in the both experiments. This outcome clearly showed the detrimental effects of texting during class, which could discourage multitasking behavior as wider extent. In another research, Strayer and Johnston (2001) conducted dual-task to assess the effects of cellular-phone conversation on performance of a simulated driving task. While listening to radio broadcasts or listening to a book on tape did not disrupt the…

    • 732 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Benefits Of Multitasking

    • 507 Words
    • 3 Pages

    What is multitasking? This is a simple question. Multitasking is performing multiple tasks at the same time. When multitasking we tend to think we can perform both tasks at hand. But, only simple everyday life experiences, such as walking and talking can be achieved. A common miss conception about multitasking is when people think they can do any two tasks and obtain all the information needed. It’s difficult to obtain the information from a class when listening to music because you’re either focused on the music or the class. Can people multitask better than others? Absolutely, some people are better than others. Do we get better at multitasking with practice? Yes because practice makes perfect.…

    • 507 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Whitborne, Susane K. "Mastering the Fine Art of Multi-Tasking." Psychology Today: Health, Help, Happiness + Find a Therapist. N.p., 4 Oct. 2011. Web. 29 Nov. 2014. <http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201110/mastering-the-fine-art-multi-tasking>.…

    • 1143 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Can Machines Think?

    • 1293 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Searle, John. R. (1980) “Minds, Brains, and Programs”, from the journal Behavioral and Brain Sciences, volume 3 number 3, pages 417-457.…

    • 1293 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays