Multi-tasking: a psychological overview : Multi-tasking: a psychological overview Eva Ferrari
Department of Psychology/i2 media research ltd.,
Goldsmiths, University of London
Slide 2 : “We manage our time,
we don’t manage our attention.”
(L. Stone) “Catching” attention
Simultaneous task performance
Switching tasks
Attention : Attention is the taking possession by the mind in clear and vivid form, of one out of what seem several simultaneously possible objects or trains of thought... (James, 1890) Conscious attention has limited capacity and needs to be selective…video
Spot the bear?! : Spot the bear?! Selective attention
Suppress/inhibit colour “black”
Cocktail party effect : Cocktail party effect Screen constant stream of information
Conscious and subconscious control
We attend to what is personally relevant
Slide 6 : Novel
Incongruous
Intensity
Instinctive
Slide 7 : Sensory Memory Short term memory Long term memory Working memory Rehearsal Depth of processing World knowledge, physical laws, beliefs, motor/perceptual skills; problem solving
Slide 8 :
What do we mean by multitasking? : What do we mean by multitasking? We engage in two activities ‘at the same time’
ONLY when automatic
ATTENTION SWITCHING
Rubinstein:
‘Goal shifting’ (I want to do this instead of that)
‘Rule activation’ (I disable the rules for this, enable for that)
No awareness
Costs – Accuracy and Time : Costs – Accuracy and Time Reconfiguring setting for a new task - time
Remembering where you were up to before switching (point of return indicator)
Anticipation (cues/warnings/remind)
Can we really multitask? : Can we really multitask? Difficult to give a general answer
Psychology studies consider/control a few characteristics per time and the results can only be attributed to that situation
Single/Multiple activities/way of communication
It depends…
Slide 12 : Device
Mobile vs Desktop
Size of screen/proportion of space/competition
Visual capacity
Proportion of vision
Context
Slide 13 : Task
Simplicity/complexity
Practice
Similarity of content/Priming effect
Earlier stimulus influences responses to a later one
Slide 14 : Individual differences
Cognitive style
Task driven vs. Interrupt driven
Levellers vs. sharpeners (minimize differences)
Personality
Impulsivity/reflexivity
Demographics
Age (deficit in WM, perceptual speed)
Recommendations : Personalization (preferences BUT privacy)
We don’t see things as they are. We see things as we are (A. Nin)
Prioritization (not always able to control attention)
We manage our time,
we don’t manage our attention. Recommendations
Slide 16 : Overload of information/accessibility
Keep informed, no to miss opportunities
With technology,
everything is irresisitibly accessible
How can we cope with it? Can technology help us to prioritize and focus on what is most important for us?
Slide 17 : We get pleasure from our ‘distractions’
Human nature
We are controlled by certain stimuli response mechanism (variable interval reinforcement schedule)
Slide 18 : Personalization and Prioritization seem not to be always enough to avoid unecessary distractions
We respond automatically to certain mechanism
Pleasure?
Can the controlled behaviour be rewarding in the same way as distractions are?
Slide 19 : Thank you! Eva Ferrari
Department of Psychology
i2 media research ltd
Goldsmiths, University of London