Multitasking and Academic Cognitive Performance
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Multitasking and Academic Cognitive Performance
Introduction
Academic research has continuously gained distraction and multitasking examinations as more people adapt to more activities in their lives. Before the internet age, science cognition research focusing on a better understanding of behaviors has improved and become more efficient in high-pressure setups like the hospital, business, and education (Parry, 2013). With the rise of technology and multitasking becoming a usual way of life, especially among young individuals, researchers are focused on determining how people adapt to the incredibly connected environment and the possible impacts and consequences of multitasking.
Research published by Stanford University on “Cognitive Control in Media Multitaskers” stipulates that individuals that highly depend on multitasking demonstrate a wide range of discrepancies. Such individuals are terrible at multitasking and cognitive tasks. Media multitasking mental habits like maintenance of different kinds of thoughts, attention switching, and attention division portray significant consequences and implications on students’ academic performance (May & Elder, 2018). This review aims to determine the impact of media multitasking on academic achievement. Media multitasking hinders working memory and attention, reading comprehension, efficiency, test performance, and self-regulation.
Ability to Multitask with Social Networking Sites while Studying
Media communication is enthusiastically heartwarming but also impact academic learning. A research conducted by Rosen et al. (2013) observed 263 students from the university, high school, and middle school while studying at home for fifteen minutes. The researchers noted the open computer windows and technologies available in the student’s learning environment before the commencement of studies. The researchers also factored continuous assessment on open computer windows, off-task use of technology, and on-task behavior during the study session. The questionnaire investigated grade point average (GPA), use of social networking, monthly phone calling and texting, media use, technology attitude, task switching preference, and study strategies.
Averagely, the participants used less than six minutes before technological distractions. A positive attitude on technology does not affect the level of concentration during studies. Nevertheless, individuals engaging in task switching more often had a variety of distracting techniques in their studying environment. Frequent visitors to Facebook scored a low-grade point average compared to individuals who circumvented Facebook. Students with proper studying strategies concentrated more on studies than other students without appropriate studying strategies (Rosen et al., 2013). Implications on academic matters such as studying include enlightening students on metacognitive strategies when learning is negatively impacted by interruptions and permitting short “technology breaks” to moderate disruptions.
Impact of Social Networking on performance in Cognitive test and Academic Performance
Researchers aim to analyze whether multitasking while studying and its effect on academic performance impair or improve attention. Studies have been conducted to illustrate the connection between distraction potentials and the use of different devices during studies. To understand distraction information of multitasking, two groups are investigated; Control group – completed a cognitive task while paying full attention to them (NO multitasking) and Multitasking group – complete task while multitasking on another device. Therefore, it is essential to highlight that decreased capability to focus on relevant information and ignore distractions is heavily linked to media multitasking. Individuals with heavy use of social networking are more predisposed to disturbances than the other group of students with limited access to technology during studies (Ophir et al., 2009). Media multitasking has a significant influence on academic performance among students. Media multitaskers face difficulties in disregarding unrelated information in their study environment. At the same time, the group of students with little to no media multitasking can focus and direct attention to the intended goal despite the presence of distracting information.
Hypotheses
- Traditional students, aged 22 years and younger can multitask more efficiently then non-traditional students aged 22 years and older.
- Participants who used divided attention will score worse on the MCQ quiz than those in the control group.
Reference
May, K. E., & Elder, A. D. (2018). Efficient, helpful, or distracting? A literature review of media multitasking in relation to academic performance. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 15(1), 13.
Ophir, E., Nass, C., & Wagner, A. D. (2009). Cognitive control in media multitaskers. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106(37), 15583–15587.
Parry, M. (2013). You’re distracted. This professor can help. The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Rosen, L. D., Carrier, L. M., & Cheever, N. A. (2013). Facebook and texting made me do it: Media-induced task-switching while studying. Computers in Human Behavior, 29(3), 948-958.