Multitasking as distraction
A conceptual analysis of media multitasking research
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 20402016 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jesper Aagaard (0000-0002-3260-7005, Aarhus University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2019 |
| Volume | 29 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 87-99 |
| Publication date | 2019-02-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Theory & Psychology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0959-3543 • E-ISSN: 1461-7447 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/0959354318815766 |
| OpenAlex | W2902619321 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 24 |
| References cited | 38 |
The word “multitasking” gets thrown around a lot these days. For years it was touted as the cognitive default for a new generation of digital natives, but psychologists are increasingly warning us against its harmful effects on many different forms of human activity. What exactly is meant by the concept of multitasking, however, remains peculiarly taken-for-granted. The purpose of this article is therefore to analyze, evaluate, and interpret how the word “multitasking” is currently being used in scientific practice. Taking departure in the domain of media multitasking research, the article reveals an unacknowledged normativity in the empirical research literature: Multitasking does not in fact denote a quantitative enumeration of tasks, but a qualitative distinction between on- and off-task activity. In other words, multitasking is functionally equivalent to distraction. This article discusses how this insight challenges the scientific rationality of current media multitasking research and concludes with implications for future research
Cognition · Cognitive psychology · Cognitive science · Distraction · Epistemology · Human multitasking · Task switching · Computer Science · Digital Marketing and Social Media · Engineering · Impact of Technology on Adolescents · Mind wandering and attention · Psychology
Exploring the Dimensions of Smartphone Distraction
The situation in media and communication research
Why, how, when, and for whom does digital disconnection work? A process-based framework of digital disconnection
Can media multitasking enhance creative performance? Insights from self-determination theory
A Self-Regulated Learning Perspective on Smartphone Presence, Usage, and Multitasking While Studying
‘From a small click to an entire action’
Beyond the rhetoric of tech addiction
Examining how teachers define and integrate digital citizenship into core content area curriculum
K-12 teachers’ beliefs about and reactions to students’ off-task technology use
Attention in our digital ecosystem
Effects of multitasking and task interruptions on task performance and cognitive load
The relationship between media multitasking and attention
More media multitasking, more boredom
The role of media multitasking tendency in medium effect on reading comprehension of university students
Media multitasking
Media multitasking, counterarguing, and brand attitude
Timing and relevance of secondary tasks impact multitasking performance
Neural correlates of media multitasking influencing switching but not sustained attention among college students
Can you accurately monitor your behaviors while multitasking? The effect of multitasking on metacognition
Banning mobile phones from classrooms—An opportunity to advance understandings of technology addiction, distraction and cyberbullying
Troubling the Troublemakers
The brain digitalization
Infants Recognize the Negative Impact of Phone Distraction on Performance
Gain in quantity and novelty of work in intermittent task switching
Examining the impact of off-task multi-tasking with technology on real-time classroom learning
Can students really multitask? An experimental study of instant messaging while reading
In-class multitasking and academic performance
Visual attention
The consequences of media multitasking for youth
Laptop multitasking hinders classroom learning for both users and nearby peers
A Taxonomy of External and Internal Attention
Connective conceptual analysis and psychology
Facebook® and academic performance
Effects of social media usage and social media multitasking on the academic performance of university students
No A 4 U
An exploration of social networking site use, multitasking, and academic performance among United States and European university students
Mobile phone distraction while studying
Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants Part 1
The myths of the digital native and the multitasker
Toward a richer view of the scientific method
Why Psychology Cannot be an Empirical Science
| Unique citing works | 24 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 4,8 |
| Citation span | 2021 - 2026 (6) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 23 |