Cost Of Multitasking

The Cost of Multitasking

People live in a society that encourages getting as many things done as quickly as possible. Whether they realize it or not, multitasking as become a part of their everyday lives. They perform multiple tasks at the same time in order to save time. They use multiple electronics to take more in all at once. Multitasking can seem to be the more efficient way to handle things because people can spend the same amount of time on several tasks as opposed to just one. However, they do not stop to think of the amount of effort it takes the multitask and the consequences that can come along with it. Several experiments have been performed to determine just how detrimental multitasking can be. Attempting any form of multitasking

can have negative effects such as decreased performance, inability to retain important information, and divided attention.
One negative effect of multitasking is the decreased performance.

Multitasking requires that a worker divides his/her time and energy on multiple tasks at the same time. As a result, the care and attention to detail is divided. The amount of focus that could be used to review one assignment is split. In an experiment, Patterson (2017) discovered that students who studied while participating in media multitasking took longer to complete tasks in their classes. This experiment addresses media multitasking in the case of students. While it is not a type of multitasking we normally consider, it does involve performing multiple tasks at one. Instead of putting all of their focus on their assignments, these students’ attention is on the assignment and on their social media. The results of the experiment prove that it when placed in scenarios where people are required to focus on multiple things, it takes more time to complete certain tasks. In this instance, media multitasking caused a decrease in performance. In another experiment, Paridon and Kaufmann (2010) made an observation when studying multitasking in the workplace, stating that people’s reaction time diminished when multiple tasks were completed at once. The believe that multitasking affects people’s performance has also been proven to be true in the workplace, as the speed of people’s production when down when required to complete multiple tasks. Performance can be determined by the speed in which a task is completed.

These experiments have shown that, whether in school or in the workplace, multitasking affects their performance. This is one of the few effects multitasking can have.
Another negative impact of multitasking is the inability to retain important information. Many assignments require remembering certain information to be completed. Similar to affecting performance, the focus required to multitask is also needed to help retain this information. When the focus is limited, retaining information is affected as well. In another experiment which measured the effect of people’s reading comprehension when there are multiple tasks involved, Cho, Altarriba, and Popiel (2015) noted switching between different tasks made it difficult for readers to retain the information required to complete the tasks. This proves that trying to multitask can affect people as they try to retain what they are reading. Instead of solely focusing on the readings, the people have to focus on reading and completing different tasks. The more they try to perform different tasks while reading, the harder it becomes to remember the information needed. Wieth and Burns (2014) performed an experiment to discover if offering a reward improved people’s multitasking abilities. Instead, they discovered that trying to multitask for a reward led retaining unimportant information that did not help with the tasks at hand. Both of these experiments discuss the effects multitasking has on people’s memory. The second experiment reveals that, in trying to retain too much information all at once, it can mean keeping information that actually is not necessary. Multitasking affects the retaining of information because it robs people of the one factor that is required to do so: attention.
A final negative impact is a divide in attention.

Performing well in at certain tasks and retaining information both require a high level of attention. Multitasking requires that this attention be divided amongst different tasks. As a result, the some of the attention used for a certain task must now be used for other tasks, which affects the factors needed to complete it. Referring to an experiment that was discussed earlier, Wieth and Burns (2014) stated that even with the reward, the promise of incentive could not override the limits of people’s attention. Retaining information requires undivided attention. The key word is ‘undivided.’ According to this experiment, it is nearly impossible to have the same high level of focus while working on multiple tasks that a person would while working on one task. Once someone has reached the end of their attention span, their performance begins to falter. In a final experiment involving media multitasking and attention, Ralph, Thomson, Cheyne, and Smilek (2014) stated that multitasking can lead to mind wandering and lapses in attention, which distracts people from their tasks. These results show that once their attention is divided, it can lead to distractions and difficulty completing different tasks. It is difficult to complete one assignment while focusing on several others at the same time. Multitasking affects the attention needed for a task, which can affect everything

else.
Multitasking, an action that is normally seen for its benefits, also has its downfalls. It can lead to a decrease in performance, a decrease in retaining memory, and a decrease in focus. Attempting to save time by multitasking will actually do the opposite. It will mean less attention towards each task, which will lead to a difficulty in understanding and retaining the information needed to complete them. As a result, the overall performance at work or at school will diminish. Before attempting to multitask, it is important to remember exactly what it costs when we try to save time by doing too many tasks at once. It leaves a choice of completing one task with exceptional results or several tasks with average results.