Frequent Media Use, Media Multitasking, and Perceived Cost of Cognitive Effort

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Media Psychology
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Cognitive effort is perceived as costly, leading individuals to conserve it.
• Understanding factors influencing cognitive effort avoidance is crucial in a media-saturated world.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between frequent media use and the perceived cost of cognitive effort.
• To differentiate the impact of media multitasking versus other media consumption patterns on cognitive effort perception.

Main Methods:

• 266 participants completed questionnaires on media use, cognitive style, and psychological distress.
• Participants performed a cognitive task and estimated their perceived cognitive effort.
• Statistical analyses examined correlations between media use patterns and perceived effort cost.

Main Results:

• Heavier media multitasking was significantly associated with a higher perceived cost of cognitive effort.
• No significant relationship was found between frequent social media, gaming, or video streaming use and perceived effort cost.
• The findings highlight the modality of media engagement as a critical factor.

Conclusions:

• The way individuals engage with media, specifically multitasking, influences cognitive effort avoidance.
• Media multitasking, rather than general media consumption, is linked to a higher perceived cost of cognitive effort.
• This research contributes to understanding the mechanisms driving media multitasking and cognitive effort conservation.