Younger Generation NOT Good at Multitasking Either!

Generation Y, millennials, iPod Generation, better at multitasking then their elders. Yadda yadda yadda.

You've heard it all before, but is it true?

No. Probably not.

Read this great article in the Monitor on Psychology by Rebecca A. Clay.

It says:

1. People in general are not good at multitasking.
2. Young people are no better than their elders at multitasking.
3. Multitasking actually takes longer. It is NOT a time saver.
4. Learning done while multitasking is shallower learning, leading not to deep understanding (and flexible mental models) but only to an ability to regurgitate rote information.

Although I recommend the article, I do worry that some of its conclusions are drawn from too small a research base and may encompass a slight bias against the new media revolution. Still, I think we need to read these warnings because too many in our field don't see any downside to the new technologies.

Comments

[Guy W Wallace]

And that's (this post) one of the reasons I thanked you earlier. And for your past BS detecting!

[Andrew Duthie]

For what it's worth, I never really bought that one generation can do anything categorically better than another. I work with someone who, at age 50+, can genuinely multitask. I watched him write programming code while listening in on a conference call, then jump into the call at just the right moment to interject a relevant comment. Sure it's just one data point, but it was the only time I've seen someone genuinely multitask.

[Harold Jarche]

If we were more productive while multi-tasking, there wouldn't be a market for tools like Leech block:
http://www.proginosko.com/leechblock.html

[Jenn Brown]

I find I'm generally more efficient when multi-tasking because I either switch tasks to take breaks, or when I'm forced to take a break (such as waiting for something to process). For me, it's a work smarter, not harder.

I highly suspect those kids who aren't learning well have a deep understanding and recall of the text messaging. Multitasking works best when you're actually invested in what you're tasking.

[Jim]

I don't believe anyone is more efficient when multitasking.

Some people speak of smart multitasking, and I can support that. Smart multitasking occurs when the first task is something that is of little or no value to you and you could add little or no value to what is happening.

But the answer is not to multitask, but to eliminate the time wasters.

So I disagree with Jenn's first statement, but have to agree with her statement multitasking works best when you're actually invested in what you're tasking.

[ces]

New technologies made multitasking possible. Practice makes it easier.