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FINAL DRAFT Multitasking_Memory Essay 4 due 5_23

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pp. 23-24

Memory changes as we get older because the neurons that communicate in order to produce the memory are used to create new ones. This results in fading of memories even though we can't really tell it is happening sometimes. Neurons are continuously multitasking, and because there is a limited number of them, they are reused to record each new experience.

"You have a finite number of neurons, and they are all required to multitask."

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This is a very subjective question. Meaning it always depends on who you're asking. Because none of this has yet to be "proven" people will argue forThis is a very subjective question. Meaning it always depends on who you're asking. Because none of this has yet to be "proven" people will argue for whoever's research and theories they agree with. I can give you some of my own personal (and I try really hard to be objective and steer clear of opinions, but that will always have a role so that's just my warning label of sorts, ha) but because this is such a big topic today it'd help if you were more specific... do you mean subconscious mind just basically like how we make decisions, fears, etc or do you want to go deeper meaning the abnormal subconscious mind and/or subconscious mind of trauma, etc. there are so many good out there. If you want recs let me know, but another good way to find is to do a bit of research online and/or going to a book store and looking at several books that deal with your specific questions... I hope this helps! ...more (less)

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This is a very subjective question. Meaning it always depends on who you're asking. Because none of this has yet to be "proven" people will argue forThis is a very subjective question. Meaning it always depends on who you're asking. Because none of this has yet to be "proven" people will argue for whoever's research and theories they agree with.

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The flow of information to our brains is constant. A UK study of office employees shows that all of this info flow impacts us negatively, by lowering our IQ by an astonishing 10 points and killing our ability to focus on one matter at a time. Men are more affected than women, but both are affected even more so than people who use cannabis products regularly. It affects focus as much as missing out on a night of sleep!

"Far from boosting productivity, the constant flow of messages and information can seriously reduce a person’s ability to focus on tasks, the study of office workers found."

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The relentless influx of emails, cellphone calls and instant messages received by modern workers can reduce their IQ by more than smoking marijuana, suggests UK research.

Far from boosting productivity, the constant flow of messages and information can seriously reduce a person's ability to focus on tasks, the study of office workers found.

Eighty volunteers were asked to carry out problem solving tasks, firstly in a quiet environment and then while being bombarded with new emails and phone calls. Although they were told not to respond to any messages, researchers found that their attention was significantly disturbed.

Alarmingly, the average IQ was reduced by 10 points - double the amount seen in studies involving cannabis users. But not everyone was affected by to the same extent - men were twice as distracted as women.

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"If left unchecked, 'info-mania' will damage a worker's performance by reducing their mental sharpness," says Glenn Wilson, a psychiatrist at the University of London, UK, who carried out the study, sponsored by Hewlett-Packard. "This is a very real and widespread phenomenon."

Losing sleep

Wilson adds that working amid a barrage of incoming information can reduce a person's ability to focus as much as losing a night's sleep.

The study also polled 1100 workers and found many are becoming addicted to modern modes of communications. One in five workers said they would answer messages during a meal or a social engagement, while two thirds admitted to checking emails outside working hours and even on holiday.

Christopher Kimble, from the University of York, UK, adds that the quality of information contained in communications can also be a major problem for workers.

His own research, carried out within a large multinational company, shows that key employees, such as secretaries and IT support staff, can be particularly affected by misleading or incomplete emails. These increase the time required to complete the task, when a short phone conversation would have been much more efficient.

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'Info-mania' dents IQ more than marijuana

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The relentless influx of emails, cellphone calls and instant messages received by modern workers can reduce their IQ by more than smoking marijuana, suggests UK research. Far from boosting productivity, the constant flow of messages and information can seriously reduce a person's ability to focus on tasks, the study of office workers found.

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Academic Journal Article >> Working Memory

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Academic Journal Article >> Working Memory

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People who multitask most heavily are the most affected, with their performance of working memory tasks being severely diminished, and are also more susceptible to distractions. It showed that impairment in working memory also has a negative affect on long term memory, having to do with both storing and retrieving information.

Does multitasking cause impulsivity and distractiblity or are people who are more prone to it drawn to multitasking?
How does multitasking affect the developing brains of children and adolescents?

"... Chronic media multitasking is associated with a reduced ability
to draw on the past—be it very recent or more remote—to
inform present behavior."
"Heavy Media Multitaskers showed reduced working memory performance regardless of whether external distractors were present or absent."
"Chronic media multitasking
is associated with deficits in cognitive abilities that are critical
for successful navigation through life..."

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Effective multitasking is an illusion, and directly affects memory and performance of students. When multitasking, a secondary memory network in brain that is less reliable, resulting in lost information.

"A study showed that when a student is using a laptop during a class lecture, not only does his memory and performance suffer, but so does the memory and performance of other students sitting around the multitasking student."

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Donald Broadbent first hypothesized that humans have a limited attention capacity. Drivers are more likely to miss important details and be more careless when having a distraction like talking on the phone, and the same risk-level as intoxicated drivers.

Multitasking regularly increases impulsivity and “sensation-seeking” behavior, hurts info recall. Some people, can multitask with ease, showing little to no change in performance when switching their focus between tasks.

Is this genetic or an evolutionary adaptation?

“For most people, a tougher challenge recruits more resources in the brain, but supertaskers showed little or no change in brain activity as the task became more demanding, suggesting that somehow these individuals can achieve greater efficiencies and … higher performance.”

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Contra Costa Community College District - Portal Login

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Schultz, Leeah. “Interview with Kelly Sherman.” 13 Apr. 2019.

In my interview with Kelly Sherman at her workplace, Kaiser Permanente in Walnut Creek, we discussed how multitasking affects her personally as well as the people in her daily environment. I at first asked what she knew about multitasking and her answer was typical of most people’s - that it’s more efficient and productive, and that it’s a decent skill to have if you want to be viewed as a good employee. She and her colleagues are utilizing that skill every day, whether it’s organizing patient files and plans, preparing a room and patient for an appointment or operation, or communicating with peers or higher-ups, it’s usually a combination of these duties. She comments that she thought she was a good multitasker, but in retrospect admitted, “I definitely feel more stressed when having to make sure the patient’s room is well prepped, as well as gather their personal information, medical history and vitals before the surgeon enters for their appointment, because I have a time limit so I tend to try to get these things done all at once, especially when it’s a busy day.” She also noted that she knows the supervisors need to keep track of many things at once, like when employees on the floor need to take breaks, who fills in for them, and what each department’s game plan is for the day. “I often see my coworkers on their cell phones or computers when they’re talking to other coworkers about work, and it feels like there’s a big cloud of stress and urgency hanging over everyone.” Kelly, like many others, felt that she was a lot more productive when she would be doing several things at a time, but did admit it made her feel more flustered and stressed out, especially because the hospital is short staffed - so she even picks up extra duties to help out!

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Doing multiple activities leaves you feeling more tired, anxious and stressed.
Multitasking decreases our ability to think clearly, make decisions, and control our impulses and emotions. Since it requires more energy to switch between tasks, it takes up more nutrients to power the brain to do so.

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Why the modern world is bad for your brain

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Multitasking is an essential skill in the era of email, text messages, Facebook and Twitter. But, argues neuroscientist Daniel J Levitin, it's actually making us less efficient

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Multitasking decreases performance levels and abilities to understand and remember information learned in the classroom. Multitasking during the lectures results in lower performance and test scores than the individuals who listen without distractions.

“... In the university classroom, the amount of learning will likely decrease as a result of students engaging in activities which overlap with the learning process”
“The findings provide quite convincing evidence that focusing on one task leads to better performance compared to alternating between two tasks”

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pp. 45-46, 77-80.

In a study performed by Patricia Goldman-Rakic, the neurons of primates were observed while they were shown a dot and had to remember the location of it after it disappeared. Goldman-Rakic found that certain neurological cells were active while looking at it, which continued to transmit signals to each other long after the dot had disappeared. This allowed the monkey to temporarily store the location of the dot. If distracted, that continuous flow of signals is interrupted, which causes the information and memory of the dot to be lost.

“... Information is retained in working memory because certain neurons are continually active."

“Working memory is used to control attention, remember instructions, to keep in mind a plan of things to do, and to solve complex problems.”

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As the pace of technological change accelerates, we are increasingly experiencing a state of information overload. Statistics show that we are interrupted every three minutes during the course of the work day. Multitasking between email, cell-phone, text messages, and four or five websites while listening to an iPod forces the brain to process more and more informaton at greater and greater speeds.

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When adding a new activity on to another separate activity, you are hopping back and forth between hemispheres of the brain. This takes more effort for the brain.  Most people who claim to be productive multitaskers are actually exponentially worse at it than they think. Only 2% of the population can multitask effectively and without worsening the quality of their performance on multiple things.

“You’re not actually doing both activities at the same time… you’re diverting your attention from one part of your brain to another part of your brain… which takes time, ... resources,  … and brain cells.”

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A lot of people think they are good at multitasking, but the sad truth is, they are probably not.

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Multitasking is both an external interruption and an internal diversion, types of interference that effects our short term memory (i.e. when you walk into a room with a goal, the phone rings [distraction], and you forget why you were in the room in the first place). In an experiment where one is shown a face, then another 10 seconds later, and then the same one again, it is more difficult to recognize that the third face is the same as the first.
In a study where people were shown objects in small numbers, then after an hour heard the names of the objects, they had difficulty remembering how many objects they had been shown. Recollection of details declines even from having eyes open and being exposed to normal environmental stimulation.
Multitasking - the Prefrontal Cortex prioritizes information, switching between tasks. This causes a time delay which is what leads to decreased performance. Disengaging and reengaging becomes slower, especially with age, which has the negative impact by creating interference in memory.

"...Performance diminishes as soon as you introduce that second task."
"Our memory is exquisitely sensitive eveen to our normal environmental stimulation."

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TEDxSanJoseCA - Adam Gazzaley, MD, PhD - Brain: Memory and Multitasking

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We are constantly aware and conscious of our working memory. It allows us to store immediate experiences and relevant knowledge, communicate, and use info from long term memory in light of a current goal, it allows us to investigate our current experiences and make sense/derive meaning from them.

"We need to process things immediately so that we can use them later."

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Peter Doolittle: How your "working memory" makes sense of the world

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"Life comes at us very quickly, and what we need to do is take that amorphous flow of experience and somehow extract meaning from it." In this funny, enlightening talk, educational psychologist Peter Doolittle details the importance -- and limitations -- of your "working memory," that part of the brain that allows us to make sense of what's happening right now.

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Texts, tweets, emails, and ads, and the processing it all requires competes for resources in the brain. Taking a simple ‘daydream’ break from all this switching between tasks and information overload can be extremely beneficial, leading to increased cognitive function, like creativity and productivity.

"The processing capacity of the conscious mind is limited."
"Every status update you read on Facebook, every tweet or text message you get from a friend, is competing for resources in your brain..."
"Increasing creativity will happen naturally as we tame the multitasking and immerse ourselves in a single task..."

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THIS month, many Americans will take time off from work to go on vacation, catch up on household projects and simply be with family and friends. And many of us will feel guilty for doing so. We will worry about all of the emails piling up at work, and in many cases continue to compulsively check email during our precious time off.

But beware the false break. Make sure you have a real one. The summer vacation is more than a quaint tradition. Along with family time, mealtime and weekends, it is an important way that we can make the most of our beautiful brains.

Every day we're assaulted with facts, pseudofacts, news feeds and jibber-jabber, coming from all directions. According to a 2011 study, on a typical day, we take in the equivalent of about 174 newspapers' worth of information, five times as much as we did in 1986. As the world's 21,274 television stations produce some 85,000 hours of original programming every day (by 2003 figures), we watch an average of five hours of television per day. For every hour of YouTube video you watch, there are 5,999 hours of new video just posted!

If you're feeling overwhelmed, there's a reason: The processing capacity of the conscious mind is limited. This is a result of how the brain's attentional system evolved. Our brains have two dominant modes of attention: the task-positive network and the task-negative network (they're called networks because they comprise distributed networks of neurons, like electrical circuits within the brain). The task-positive network is active when you're actively engaged in a task, focused on it, and undistracted; neuroscientists have taken to calling it the central executive. The task-negative network is active when your mind is wandering; this is the daydreaming mode. These two attentional networks operate like a seesaw in the brain: when one is active the other is not.

This two-part attentional system is one of the crowning achievements of the human brain, and the focus it enables allowed us to harness fire, build the pyramids, discover penicillin and decode the entire human genome. Those projects required some plain old-fashioned stick-to-itiveness.

But the insight that led to them probably came from the daydreaming mode. This brain state, marked by the flow of connections among disparate ideas and thoughts, is responsible for our moments of greatest creativity and insight, when we're able to solve problems that previously seemed unsolvable. You might be going for a walk or grocery shopping or doing something that doesn't require sustained attention and suddenly - boom - the answer to a problem that had been vexing you suddenly appears. This is the mind-wandering mode, making connections among things that we didn't previously see as connected.

A third component of the attentional system, the attentional filter, helps to orient our attention, to tell us what to pay attention to and what we can safely ignore. This undoubtedly evolved to alert us to predators and other dangerous situations. The constant flow of information from Twitter, Facebook, Vine, Instagram, text messages and the like engages that system, and we find ourselves not sustaining attention on any one thing for very long - the curse of the information age.

My collaborator Vinod Menon, a professor of neuroscience at Stanford, and I showed that the switch between daydreaming and attention is controlled in a part of the brain called the insula, an important structure about an inch or so beneath the surface of the top of your skull. Switching between two external objects involves the temporal-parietal junction. If the relationship between the central executive system and the mind-wandering system is like a seesaw, then the insula - the attentional switch - is like an adult holding one side down so that the other stays up in the air. The efficacy of this switch varies from person to person, in some functioning smoothly, in others rather rusty. But switch it does, and if it is called upon to switch too often, we feel tired and a bit dizzy, as though we were seesawing too rapidly.

Every status update you read on Facebook, every tweet or text message you get from a friend, is competing for resources in your brain with important things like whether to put your savings in stocks or bonds, where you left your passport or how best to reconcile with a close friend you just had an argument with.

If you want to be more productive and creative, and to have more energy, the science dictates that you should partition your day into project periods. Your social networking should be done during a designated time, not as constant interruptions to your day.

Email, too, should be done at designated times. An email that you know is sitting there, unread, may sap attentional resources as your brain keeps thinking about it, distracting you from what you're doing. What might be in it? Who's it from? Is it good news or bad news? It's better to leave your email program off than to hear that constant ping and know that you're ignoring messages.

Increasing creativity will happen naturally as we tame the multitasking and immerse ourselves in a single task for sustained periods of, say, 30 to 50 minutes. Several studies have shown that a walk in nature or listening to music can trigger the mind-wandering mode. This acts as a neural reset button, and provides much needed perspective on what you're doing.

Daydreaming leads to creativity, and creative activities teach us agency, the ability to change the world, to mold it to our liking, to have a positive effect on our environment. Music, for example, turns out to be an effective method for improving attention, building up self-confidence, social skills and a sense of engagement.

This radical idea - that problem solving might take some time and doesn't always have to be accomplished immediately - could have profound effects on decision making and even on our economy. Consider this: By some estimates, preventable medical error is the third leading cause of death in the United States, accounting for hundreds of thousands of deaths each year. You want your diagnostician to give the right answer, not always the quickest one. Zoning out is not always bad. You don't want your airline pilot or air traffic controller to do it while they're on the job, but you do want them to have opportunities to reset - this is why air traffic control and other high-attention jobs typically require frequent breaks. Several studies have shown that people who work overtime reach a point of diminishing returns.

Taking breaks is biologically restorative. Naps are even better. In several studies, a nap of even 10 minutes improved cognitive function and vigor, and decreased sleepiness and fatigue. If we can train ourselves to take regular vacations - true vacations without work - and to set aside time for naps and contemplation, we will be in a more powerful position to start solving some of the world's big problems. And to be happier and well rested while we're doing it.

The director of the Laboratory for Music, Cognition and Expertise at McGill University and the author of "The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload."

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page SR5 of the New York edition with the headline: Hit the Reset Button in Your Brain. Order Reprints | Today's Paper | Subscribe

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Opinion | Hit the Reset Button in Your Brain

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THIS month, many Americans will take time off from work to go on vacation, catch up on household projects and simply be with family and friends. And many of us will feel guilty for doing so. We will worry about all of the emails piling up at work, and in many cases continue to compulsively check email during our precious time off.