Cognitive control in media multitaskers

TLDR

Chronic media multitasking is rapidly ubiquitous yet poses a challenge to human cognition by requiring simultaneous processing of multiple information streams. The study examined whether chronically heavy versus light media multitaskers differ systematically in their information‑processing styles. Researchers created a trait media‑multitasking index to classify participants into heavy and light groups and compared them on established cognitive‑control measures. Heavy multitaskers exhibited greater susceptibility to irrelevant environmental and memory interference, performed worse on task‑switching tests due to impaired filtering, and overall displayed a distinct approach to fundamental information processing.

Abstract

Chronic media multitasking is quickly becoming ubiquitous, although processing multiple incoming streams of information is considered a challenge for human cognition. A series of experiments addressed whether there are systematic differences in information processing styles between chronically heavy and light media multitaskers. A trait media multitasking index was developed to identify groups of heavy and light media multitaskers. These two groups were then compared along established cognitive control dimensions. Results showed that heavy media multitaskers are more susceptible to interference from irrelevant environmental stimuli and from irrelevant representations in memory. This led to the surprising result that heavy media multitaskers performed worse on a test of task-switching ability, likely due to reduced ability to filter out interference from the irrelevant task set. These results demonstrate that media multitasking, a rapidly growing societal trend, is associated with a distinct approach to fundamental information processing.