MULTITASKING AND ITS MULTITASKING AND ITS NEGATIVE EFFECTS ON NEGATIVE EFFECTS ON

LEARNINGLEARNING

Eddie MezianEddie MezianMrs. HalajianMrs. Halajian

AP Literature and CompositionAP Literature and Composition15 April 200815 April 2008

WHAT IS MULTITASKING?WHAT IS MULTITASKING?

Doing several things Doing several things at onceat once

To perform more than To perform more than one task at the same one task at the same timetime

UCLA EXPERIMENT IUCLA EXPERIMENT I Russell Poldrack, UCLA, Associate Professor of Russell Poldrack, UCLA, Associate Professor of

PsychologyPsychology

Fourteen peopleFourteen people

Average age Average age 26 26

Clues about cards with different shapesClues about cards with different shapes

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)

UCLA EXPERIMENT IIUCLA EXPERIMENT II

Demonstrated multitasking will restrict Demonstrated multitasking will restrict the “extrapolating” of information in the the “extrapolating” of information in the future.future.

““Learning while distracted or multitasking Learning while distracted or multitasking alters the brain’s learning processes and alters the brain’s learning processes and changes the way people learn.” – changes the way people learn.” – Russell Poldrack, UCLARussell Poldrack, UCLA

WHY?WHY?

fMRI showed:fMRI showed:

When not multitasking, hippocampus was When not multitasking, hippocampus was initiatedinitiated

When multitasking, striatum was initiated.When multitasking, striatum was initiated.

EXAMPLES OF USELESS EXAMPLES OF USELESS DISTRACTION TOOLSDISTRACTION TOOLS

Cell phonesCell phones

Mp3 players (iPod)Mp3 players (iPod)

Computers (instant Computers (instant messaging, MySpace, messaging, MySpace, Facebook)Facebook)

CRITICAL CHANGES ALREADY CRITICAL CHANGES ALREADY MADE BY ANOTHERMADE BY ANOTHER

Patti Lewis, marketing Patti Lewis, marketing professorprofessor Restricts students from Restricts students from

using laptopsusing laptops• ““e-mail, instant e-mail, instant

messages, and Web messages, and Web sites such as Facebook sites such as Facebook easily distracted easily distracted students.students.

NOT ONLY ME!NOT ONLY ME! Marriane J. Legato, MD, Marriane J. Legato, MD,

FACP, Professor of clinical FACP, Professor of clinical medicine at Columbia medicine at Columbia UniversityUniversity ““When I need to When I need to

concentrate on writing, concentrate on writing, it’s helpful for me to turn it’s helpful for me to turn off my phone and my e-off my phone and my e-mail program, with its mail program, with its constant ‘new mail’ constant ‘new mail’ alerts, so that I can better alerts, so that I can better and more purely and more purely concentrate on the task concentrate on the task at hand.”at hand.”

NEGATIVE EFFECTSNEGATIVE EFFECTS

Much longer studying hoursMuch longer studying hours

Not be able to reproduce info in futureNot be able to reproduce info in future

Not able to imbibe in mind as efficientlyNot able to imbibe in mind as efficiently

Not able to perform as well in school or Not able to perform as well in school or wherever you are studyingwherever you are studying

POSITIVE EFFECTSPOSITIVE EFFECTS

Able to reproduce info in futureAble to reproduce info in future

Much less time studyingMuch less time studying

Will stay in mind for longer period of timeWill stay in mind for longer period of time

Will be able to perform in school much Will be able to perform in school much more successfullymore successfully

MAIN POINTSMAIN POINTS

Concentration is keyConcentration is key

Turn any distraction offTurn any distraction off

Stay in quiet roomStay in quiet room

STAY FOCUSED!STAY FOCUSED!

IMPORTANT NOTEIMPORTANT NOTE

Multitasking for Multitasking for unimportant things can be unimportant things can be done:done: ExamplesExamples

• Exercising and Exercising and listening to musiclistening to music

• Talking on the phone Talking on the phone and watching TVand watching TV

MULTITASKING MAY VITALLY MULTITASKING MAY VITALLY EFFECT ALSO…EFFECT ALSO…

DrivingDriving

WorkWork

CookingCooking

STUDYINGSTUDYING