Multitasking costs on metacognition in a triple-task paradigm

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Experimental Psychology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Multitasking is prevalent, yet its impact on metacognition remains understudied.
• Existing research focuses on performance costs, neglecting self-monitoring abilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how multitasking affects metacognitive sensitivity.
• To examine the relationship between multitasking, task performance, and self-awareness.

Main Methods:

• Developed a multimodal paradigm combining sensorimotor, visual, and auditory tasks.
• Participants performed tasks individually and concurrently, self-evaluating performance periodically.
• Utilized psychophysical procedures to quantify metacognitive sensitivity.

Main Results:

• Multitasking significantly reduced metacognitive sensitivity across all tasks.
• This metacognitive decline was distinct from performance decrements.
• Results were not explained by confidence leak, psychological refractory period, or recency effects.

Conclusions:

• Multitasking imposes a significant cost on metacognitive awareness.
• Understanding these metacognitive costs is crucial for multitasking research.
• Findings have implications for real-world scenarios involving divided attention.