SP19Essay4Schultz by Leeah Neary https://padlet.com/leeah_neary/SP19Essay4Schultz Multitasking: The Downfall of Us All en-us 2019-05-02 16:47:48 UTC 2024-07-30 18:10:37 UTC hello@padlet.com https://imgglb.padletcdn.com/v13/image?t=g_auto&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpadlet.net%2Ficons%2Fpng%2F1f30c.png News Article leeah_neary https://padlet.com/leeah_neary/SP19Essay4Schultz/wish/356309077 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..."]]> 2019-05-02 17:09:41 UTC https://padlet.com/leeah_neary/SP19Essay4Schultz/wish/356309077 Video >> Working Memory leeah_neary https://padlet.com/leeah_neary/SP19Essay4Schultz/wish/356310515 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."]]> 2019-05-02 17:12:09 UTC https://padlet.com/leeah_neary/SP19Essay4Schultz/wish/356310515 Video >> Working Memory leeah_neary https://padlet.com/leeah_neary/SP19Essay4Schultz/wish/356311210 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."]]> 2019-05-02 17:13:19 UTC https://padlet.com/leeah_neary/SP19Essay4Schultz/wish/356311210 News Article leeah_neary https://padlet.com/leeah_neary/SP19Essay4Schultz/wish/356311679 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.”
]]> 2019-05-02 17:14:06 UTC https://padlet.com/leeah_neary/SP19Essay4Schultz/wish/356311679 Book >> Working Memory leeah_neary https://padlet.com/leeah_neary/SP19Essay4Schultz/wish/356312096 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.” 


]]> 2019-05-02 17:14:53 UTC https://padlet.com/leeah_neary/SP19Essay4Schultz/wish/356312096 Academic Journal Article leeah_neary https://padlet.com/leeah_neary/SP19Essay4Schultz/wish/356312749 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” 
]]> 2019-05-02 17:16:10 UTC https://padlet.com/leeah_neary/SP19Essay4Schultz/wish/356312749 News Article leeah_neary https://padlet.com/leeah_neary/SP19Essay4Schultz/wish/356313390 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.

]]> 2019-05-02 17:17:13 UTC https://padlet.com/leeah_neary/SP19Essay4Schultz/wish/356313390 Interview leeah_neary https://padlet.com/leeah_neary/SP19Essay4Schultz/wish/356313996 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! 



]]> 2019-05-02 17:18:10 UTC https://padlet.com/leeah_neary/SP19Essay4Schultz/wish/356313996 Academic Journal Article leeah_neary https://padlet.com/leeah_neary/SP19Essay4Schultz/wish/356314251 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.”
]]> 2019-05-02 17:18:33 UTC https://padlet.com/leeah_neary/SP19Essay4Schultz/wish/356314251 Video >> Working Memory leeah_neary https://padlet.com/leeah_neary/SP19Essay4Schultz/wish/356318979 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."]]> 2019-05-02 17:26:33 UTC https://padlet.com/leeah_neary/SP19Essay4Schultz/wish/356318979 Academic Journal Article >> Working Memory leeah_neary https://padlet.com/leeah_neary/SP19Essay4Schultz/wish/356395014 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..."]]> 2019-05-02 20:29:14 UTC https://padlet.com/leeah_neary/SP19Essay4Schultz/wish/356395014 News Article leeah_neary https://padlet.com/leeah_neary/SP19Essay4Schultz/wish/357471482 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."
]]> 2019-05-07 04:59:28 UTC https://padlet.com/leeah_neary/SP19Essay4Schultz/wish/357471482 Book leeah_neary https://padlet.com/leeah_neary/SP19Essay4Schultz/wish/357887532 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."
]]> 2019-05-08 02:29:34 UTC https://padlet.com/leeah_neary/SP19Essay4Schultz/wish/357887532 Multitasking: The Downfall of Us All leeah_neary https://padlet.com/leeah_neary/SP19Essay4Schultz/wish/362805611 2019-05-23 06:18:58 UTC https://padlet.com/leeah_neary/SP19Essay4Schultz/wish/362805611