Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Investigating the relationship between media multitasking and processes involved in task-switching.

Reem Alzahabi1, Mark W Becker1, David Z Hambrick1

  • 1Department of Psychology, Michigan State University.

Journal of Experimental Psychology. Human Perception and Performance
|April 14, 2017
PubMed
Summary

Media multitasking enhances task-switching performance by improving advanced preparation, leading to quicker task changes without sacrificing accuracy. This study clarifies the link between heavy media use and cognitive control abilities.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Personalized labeling: A strategy for supporting self-medicating patients' decision-making during selection and use.

PloS one·2026
Same author

Reducing the low-prevalence effect with probe trials.

Cognitive research: principles and implications·2026
Same author

Recent discoveries on the acquisition of the highest levels of human performance.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2025
Same author

Presenting segmented images in a rapid serial visual presentation stream improves search accuracy.

Cognitive research: principles and implications·2025
Same author

Salient distractors influence information accrual rather than quitting threshold in visual search.

Attention, perception & psychophysics·2025
Same author

Testing the Deliberate Practice Theory: Does Practice Reduce the Heritability of Musical Expertise?

Journal of Intelligence·2024

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Media Psychology

Background:

  • Media multitasking is prevalent, yet its cognitive effects, particularly on task-switching, remain unclear.
  • Previous research on media multitasking and task-switching has yielded inconsistent findings.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between media multitasking and task-switching performance using an individual differences approach.
  • To identify the underlying factors contributing to task-switching costs.

Main Methods:

  • Participants completed three task-switching paradigms to assess mechanisms like advanced preparation.
  • Surveys measured media multitasking habits and individual intelligence levels.

Main Results:

  • Task-switching performance comprises two factors: advanced preparation and passive decay.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Media multitasking correlated with enhanced advanced preparation, improving task-switching speed without accuracy loss.
  • Neither media multitasking nor intelligence affected passive decay.

    • Conclusions:

    • Findings support a two-component model of task-switching and an automatic/executive framework of cognitive control.
    • Media multitasking may improve specific aspects of cognitive control related to task preparation.