Multitasking across the lifespan in different task contexts.

We assessed lifespan development of multitasking in a sample of 187 individuals aged 8-82 years. Participants performed a visuo-spatial working memory (VSWM) task together with either postural control or reaction time (RT) tasks. Using criterion-referenced testing we individually adjusted difficulty levels for the VSWM task to control for single-task differences. Age-differences in single-task performances followed U-shaped patterns with young adults outperforming children and older adults. Multitasking manipulations yielded robust performance decrements in VSWM, postural control and RT tasks. Presumably due to our adjustment of VSWM challenges, costs in this task were small and similar across age groups suggesting that age-differential costs found in earlier studies largely reflected differences already present during single-task performance. Age-differences in multitasking costs for concurrent tasks depended on specific combinations. For VSWM and RT task combinations increases in RT were the smallest for children but pronounced in adults highlighting the role of cognitive control processes. Stabilogram diffusion analysis of postural control demonstrated that long-term control mechanisms were affected by concurrent VSWM demands. This interference was pronounced in older adults supporting concepts of compensation or increased cognitive involvement in sensorimotor processes at older age. Our study demonstrates how a lifespan approach can delineate the explanatory scope of models of human multitasking.

Priority influences task selection decisions in multi-task management.

The role of task priority on task selection in multi-task management is unclear based on prior work, leading to a common finding of 'priority neglect'. However, properties such as urgency and conflict may influence whether operators weigh priority in their decision. We examined the role of instructed task prioritization, bolstered by more urgent and conflicting conditions, on how operators select among emergent, concurrent tasks when multitasking. Using the Multi-Attribute Task Battery (MATB) multitasking platform we tested both an auditory communications task and a manual tracking task as the priority tasks. Results showed that instructed priority significantly increased target task selection under the conflicting task conditions for both tasks. Urgency itself may modulate whether instructions to prioritize affect task selection choices when multitasking, and therefore counter to prior results instructions may yet be useful for helping operators select a higher priority task under conflict, a generalizable effect to be further explored.

Error modulates categorization of subsecond durations in multitasking contexts.

Monitoring errors consumes limited cognitive resources and can disrupt subsequent task performance in multitasking scenarios. However, there is a dearth of empirical evidence concerning this interference with prospective estimation of time. In this study, we sought to investigate this issue through a serial multitasking experiment, employing a temporal bisection task as the primary task. We introduced two task contexts by implementing two different concurrent tasks. In one context, participants were tasked with discriminating the size difference between two visual items, while in the other context, they were required to judge the temporal order of similar visual items. The primary task remained the same for the entire experiment. Psychophysical metrics, including subjective bias (determined by the bisection point) and temporal sensitivity (measured by the Weber ratio), in addition to reaction time, remained unaltered in the primary task regardless of the perceptual context exerted by the concurrent tasks. However, commission of error in the concurrent tasks (i.e., non-specific errors) led to a right-ward shift in the bisection point, indicating underestimation of time after errors. Applying a drift-diffusion framework for temporal decision making, we observed alterations in the starting point and drift rate parameters, supporting the error-induced underestimation of time. The error-induced effects were all diminished with increasing a delay between the primary and concurrent task, indicating an adaptive response to errors at a trial level. Furthermore, the error-induced shift in the bisection point was diminished in the second half of the experiment, probably because of a decline in error significance and subsequent monitoring response. These findings indicate that non-specific errors impact the prospective estimation of time in multitasking scenarios, yet their effects can be alleviated through both local and global reallocation of cognitive resources from error processing to time processing.

Uncorking the central bottleneck: Even novel tasks can be performed automatically.

Can people perform two novel tasks in parallel? Available evidence and prevailing theories overwhelmingly indicate that the answer is no, due to stubborn capacity limitations in central stages (e.g., a central bottleneck). Here we propose a new hypothesis, which suggests otherwise: people are capable of fully parallel central processing (i.e., bypassing the central bottleneck), yet often fail to do so, mainly due to preparation neglect. This preparation-neglect hypothesis was evaluated in four dual-task experiments pairing novel tasks (Task 1 and Task 2) using arbitrary stimulus-response mappings. Experiment 1, using a classic psychological refractory period (PRP) procedure, replicated the finding of dozens of previous PRP studies: none of the participants bypassed the bottleneck, instead exhibiting large dual-task interference on Task 2 (445 ms). In Experiment 2, the same dual-task PRP trials were randomly intermixed with single-task trials on Task 2, to boost preparation on that task. Here, nearly half the sample of participants bypassed the central bottleneck, exhibiting small dual-task interference on Task 2 (48 ms). Two additional experiments showed that initial practice does not by itself enable bottleneck bypassing, but boosting preparation of Task 2 (via intermixing single-task trials of Task 2) does. We conclude that, when properly prepared, people are capable of far more dual-task automaticity than was previously believed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

The influence of interruptions and planning on serial everyday multitasking in older adults.

Cognitive aging research has studied the influence of healthy aging on the ability to multitask. Yet, little is known about the factors that might improve or impair serial multitasking performance in older adults. Three experiments involving younger and older adults assessed the impact of interruptions and planning on a prop-based test of multitasking. In Experiment 1, 26 younger adults and 25 older adults' multitasking abilities were assessed; older adults performed significantly more poorly than younger adults. In Experiment 2, 19 younger and 22 older adults were randomly allocated to a group who experienced a one minute unexpected interruption while multitasking or a group with no interruption. The results showed that, when there was an interruption, the age difference disappeared. In Experiment 3, 32 younger and 30 older adults were randomly allocated to a group who were given 3 minutes to write an outline describing how they intended to approach the multitasking task, and another group who were given 3 minutes to label pictures of everyday objects prior to multitasking. Again, when participants were encouraged to plan, no age difference was found. These results highlight the advantage that interruptions and planning might have on serial everyday multitasking performance in older adults.

Examining post-error performance in a complex multitasking environment.

Previous work on indices of error-monitoring strongly supports that errors are distracting and can deplete attentional resources. In this study, we use an ecologically valid multitasking paradigm to test post-error behavior. It was predicted that after failing an initial task, a subject re-presented with that task in conflict with another competing simultaneous task, would more likely miss their response opportunity for the competing task and stay 'tunneled' on the initially errored task. Additionally, we predicted that an error's effect on attention would dissipate after several seconds, making error cascades less likely when subsequent conflict tasks are delayed. A multi-attribute task battery was used to present tasks and collect measures of both post-error and post-correct performance. Results supported both predictions: post-error accuracy on the competing task was lower compared to post-correct accuracy, and error-proportions were higher at shorter delays, dissipating over time. An exploratory analysis also demonstrated that following errors (as opposed to post-correct trials), participants clicked more on the task panel of the initial error regardless of delay; this continued task-engagement provides preliminary support for errors leading to a cognitive tunneling effect.

Does witnessing multitasking impact turnover and conflict? The influence of employee dark core.

This paper explores the dark core's role in an employee's evaluations of coworkers electronic multitasking behaviors. Using an experimental vignette design collected via Amazon's Mechanical Turk (N = 485), we demonstrate that employees high in the dark core report higher turnover intentions and more interpersonal conflict, regardless of the multitasking behavior relevance. A three-way interaction between multitasking relevance, perceived intentionality, and the dark core when predicting turnover intentions emerged. Perceived coworker intentions played the largest role in impacting turnover and interpersonal conflict. Implications for theory and practice are discussed below.

Individual differences in everyday multitasking behavior and its relation to cognition and personality.

Our ability to multitask-focus on multiple tasks simultaneously-is one of the most critical functions of our cognitive system. This capability has shown to have relations to cognition and personality in empirical studies, which have received much attention recently. This review article integrates the available findings to examine how individual differences in multitasking behavior are linked with different cognitive constructs and personality traits to conceptualize what multitasking behavior represents. In this review, we highlight the methodological differences and theoretical conceptions. Cognitive constructs including executive functions (i.e., shifting, updating, and inhibition), working memory, relational integration, divided attention, reasoning, and prospective memory were investigated. Concerning personality, the traits of polychronicity, impulsivity, and the five-factor model were considered. A total of 43 studies met the inclusion criteria and entered the review. The research synthesis directs us to propose two new conceptual models to explain multitasking behavior as a psychometric construct. The first model demonstrates that individual differences in multitasking behavior can be explained by cognitive abilities. The second model proposes that personality traits constitute a moderating effect on the relation between multitasking behavior and cognition. Finally, we provide possible future directions for the line of research.

Executive function performance in middle-aged adults / Desempenho da função executiva em adultos de meia-idade

ABSTRACT. Executive functions have been widely studied in the extreme of ages, but studies in middle-aged adults remain largely neglected. Education and gender are known to influence cognitive performance; however, their effect on executive function in middle-aged adults remains unclear. Objective: The study aimed to observe the effect of hierarchy of educational qualifications (graduate, postgraduate, and PhD) and gender on various executive function tests across middle-aged adults with or without comorbidity. Methods: A total of 66 middle-aged individuals volunteered for the study (mean age=48.45±5.45 years; 20 graduates, 28 postgraduates, and 18 PhD; 36 males and 30 females; 38 healthy adults and 28 adults with comorbidities). Each subject performed a test assessing short-term memory, spatial working memory, and multitasking abilities on the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery with rest periods in no specific order of tests. Key parameters of cognitive tests were analyzed for differences in educational qualifications (ANOVA), gender (t-test), and the effect of comorbidity as a covariate (ANCOVA). Results: PhDs performed significantly better (p<0.05) in multitasking than graduates and had superior visuospatial working memory (fewer errors). Differences in simultaneous matching abilities, lower incongruence cost and multitasking cost were statistically significant in healthy females than in males. Conclusion: On considering adults with comorbidity, those with higher educational attainment retained the ability to multitask compared to their healthy counterparts, which was not seen in the group with lower educational attainment. Thus, higher educational attainment attenuated the influence of comorbidities and deterioration of executive functions in general in middle-aged adults.

RESUMO. As funções executivas têm sido amplamente estudadas no extremo das idades, mas os estudos na meia-idade permanecem amplamente negligenciados. Educação e gênero são conhecidos por influenciar o desempenho cognitivo, no entanto, seu efeito na função executiva em adultos de meia-idade ainda não está claro. Objetivo: O estudo teve como objetivo observar o efeito da hierarquia de qualificações educacionais (graduação, pós-graduação e doutorado) e gênero em vários testes de função executiva em adultos de meia-idade com ou sem comorbidade. Métodos: Sessenta e seis indivíduos de meia idade se voluntariaram para participar do estudo (idade média=48,45±5,45 anos, 20 graduados, 28 pós-graduados e 18 doutores; 36 homens e 30 mulheres; 38 saudáveis e 28 adultos com comorbidades). Cada sujeito realizou um teste avaliando memória de curto prazo, memória de trabalho espacial e habilidades multitarefa na Bateria Automatizada de Testes Neuropsicológicos de Cambridge (Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery — CANTAB) com períodos de descanso em nenhuma ordem específica de testes. Os principais parâmetros dos testes cognitivos foram analisados quanto às diferenças nas qualificações educacionais (ANOVA), sexo (teste t) e efeito da comorbidade como uma covariável (ANCOVA). Resultados: Os doutores tiveram desempenho significativamente melhor (p<0,05) em multitarefa do que os graduados e tiveram memória de trabalho visual-espacial superior (menos erros). As diferenças nas habilidades de correspondência simultânea, menor custo de incongruência e custo de multitarefa foram estatisticamente significativas em mulheres saudáveis do que em homens. Conclusão: Ao considerar os adultos com comorbidade, aqueles com maior escolaridade mantiveram a capacidade de multitarefa como seus pares saudáveis, o que não foi observado no grupo com menor escolaridade. Assim, maior escolaridade atenuou a influência de comorbidades e deterioração das funções executivas em geral, em adultos de meia-idade.

Brain function complexity during dual-tasking is associated with cognitive impairment and age.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Early diagnosis of cognitive impairment is important because symptoms can be delayed through therapies. Synaptic disconnections are the key characteristics of dementia, and through nonlinear complexity analysis of brain function, it is possible to identify long-range synaptic disconnections in the brain. METHODS: We investigated the capability of a novel upper-extremity function (UEF) dual-task paradigm in the functional MRI (fMRI) setting, where the participant flexes and extends their arm while counting, to differentiate between cognitively normal (CN) and those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We used multiscale entropy (MSE) complexity analysis of the blood oxygen-level dependent time-series across neural networks and brain regions. Outside of the fMRI, we used the UEF dual-task test, while the elbow kinematics were measured using motion sensors, to record the motor function score. RESULTS: Results showed 34% lower MSE values in MCI compared to CN (p<.04 for all regions and networks except cerebellum when counting down by one; effect size = 1.35±0.15) and a negative correlation between MSE values and age (average r2 of 0.30 for counting down by one and 0.36 for counting backward by three). Results also showed an improvement in the logistic regression model sensitivity by 14-24% in predicting the presence of MCI when brain function measure was added to the motor function score (kinematics data). CONCLUSIONS: Current findings suggest that combining measures of neural network and motor function, in addition to neuropsychological testing, may provide an accurate tool for assessing early-stage cognitive impairment and age-related decline in cognition.

Deep Personal Multitask Prediction of Diabetes Complication with Attentive Interactions Predicting Diabetes Complications by Multitask-Learning.

Objective: Diabetic complications have brought a tremendous burden for diabetic patients, but the problem of predicting diabetic complications is still unresolved. Our aim is to explore the relationship between hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c), insulin (INS), and glucose (GLU) and diabetic complications in combination with individual factors and to effectively predict multiple complications of diabetes. Methods: This was a real-world study. Data were collected from 40,913 participants with an average age of 48 years from the Department of Endocrinology of Ruijin Hospital in Shanghai. We proposed deep personal multitask prediction of diabetes complication with attentive interactions (DPMP-DC) to predict the five complication models of diabetes, including diabetic retinopathy, diabetic nephropathy, diabetic peripheral neuropathy, diabetic foot disease, and diabetic cardiovascular disease. Results: Our model has an accuracy rate of 88.01% for diabetic retinopathy, 89.58% for diabetic nephropathy, 85.77% for diabetic neuropathy, 80.56% for diabetic foot disease, and 82.48% for diabetic cardiovascular disease. The multitasking accuracy of multiple complications is 84.67%, and the missed diagnosis rate is 9.07%. Conclusion: We put forward the method of interactive integration with individual factors of patients for the first time in diabetic complications, which reflect the differences between individuals. Our multitask model using the hard sharing mechanism provides better prediction than prior single prediction models.

Polychronicity, Time Perspective, and Procrastination Behavior at the Workplace: An Empirical Study

Deben resolverse los deberes diarios, las tareas, las diversas situaciones y las decisiones. Sin embargo, con frecuencia postergamos las actividades críticas para más tarde debido a una sobrecarga de información de diversas fuentes, un número excesivo de tareas, el ritmo de vida rápido, etc. El comportamiento de procrastinación impide el desarrollo de todas las organizaciones. El objetivo principal es identificar las posibles diferencias en la procrastinación y el uso adecuado de la policronicidad en un contexto transcultural. Se consideró una muestra de 281 empleados de industrias manufactureras en Pakistán. Las hipótesis propuestas en este estudio fueron probadas mediante la técnica de Modelado de Ecuaciones Estructurales (SEM). Los hallazgos indicaron que la policronicidad aumentó el comportamiento de procrastinación, el papel de la influencia de la mediación de conflictos. Además, la autonomía laboral actúa como un moderador negativo de la influencia de la policronicidad en el papel de los sucesos de conflicto, debilitando así todo el proceso de mediación entre la policronicidad y la conducta procrastinadora individual. Finalmente, los resultados se utilizan para mostrar las implicaciones teóricas y prácticas del modelo.(AU)

Daily duties, tasks, various situations, and decisions must be re-solved. However, it is frequently the case that we defer critical activities till later due to an overload of information from many sources, an excessive number of duties, the quick pace of life, and so on. Procrastination behav-ior impedes the development of every organization. The main objective is to identify possible differences in procrastination and the proper use of polychronicity in a cross-cultural context. A sample of 281 employees of manufacturing industries in Pakistan was considered. A study proposed hypotheses were tested through Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) technique. The findings indicated that polychronicity increased procrasti-nating behavior, the role of conflict mediation influence. Furthermore, job autonomy acts as a negative moderator of polychronicity influence on the role of conflict occurrences, therefore weakening the entire mediating pro-cess between polychronicity and individual procrastinating behaviour. Fi-nally, the results are used to show the model's theoretical and practical im-plications.(AU)

Physiological stress in response to multitasking and work interruptions: Study protocol.

BACKGROUND: The biopsychological response patterns to digital stress have been sparsely investigated so far. Important potential stressors in modern working environments due to increased digitalization are multitasking and work interruptions. In this study protocol, we present a protocol for a laboratory experiment, in which we will investigate the biopsychological stress response patterns to multitasking and work interruptions. METHODS: In total, N = 192 healthy, adult participants will be assigned to six experimental conditions in a randomized order (one single-task, three dual-task (two in parallel and one as interruption), one multitasking, and one passive control condition). Salivary alpha-amylase as well as heart rate as markers for Sympathetic Nervous System Activity, heart rate variability as measure for Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS) activity, and cortisol as measure for activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis will be assessed at six time points throughout the experimental session. Furthermore, inflammatory markers (i.e., IL-6, C-reactive protein (CRP), and secretory immunoglobulin-A) will be assessed before and after the task as well as 24 hours after it (IL-6 and CRP only). Main outcomes will be the time course of these physiological stress markers. Reactivity of these measures will be compared between the experimental conditions (dual-tasking, work interruptions, and multitasking) with the control conditions (single-tasking and passive control). DISCUSSION: With this study protocol, we present a comprehensive experiment, which will enable an extensive investigation of physiological stress-responses to multitasking and work interruptions. Our planned study will contribute to a better understanding of physiological response patterns to modern (digital) stressors. Potential risks and limitations are discussed. The findings will have important implications, especially in the context of digital health in modern working and living environments.

The persistence of distraction: The hidden costs of intermittent multitasking.

We examined the hidden costs of intermittent multitasking. Participants performed a pursuit-tracking task (Experiment 1) or drove in a high-fidelity driving simulator (Experiment 2) by itself or while concurrently performing an easy or difficult backwards counting task that periodically started and stopped, creating on-task and off-task multitasking epochs. A novel application of the Detection Response Task (DRT), a standardized protocol for measuring cognitive workload (ISO 17488, 2016), was used to measure performance in the on-task and off-task intervals. We found striking costs that persisted well after the counting task had stopped. In fact, the multitasking costs dissipated as a negatively accelerated function of time with the largest costs observed immediately after multitasking ceased. Performance in the off-task interval remained above baseline levels throughout the 30-s off-task interval. We suggest that loading new procedures into working memory occurs fairly quickly, whereas purging this information from working memory takes considerably longer. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Is Electronic Multitasking Always Viewed as a Counterproductive Meeting Behavior? Understanding the Nature of the Secondary Task.

This project explored social evaluations of electronic multitasking during work meetings, including factors that may affect whether it is seen as a counterproductive meeting behavior. We used an experimental vignette design to test whether social evaluations (norm violating, agency, and communalism) of a hypothetical coworker's electronic multitasking differed by whether the secondary task was relevant to the meeting (Study 1; N = 274) or ambiguous (Study 2; N = 188). Observers evaluated task-irrelevant multitasking as more of a norm violation and less communal compared to task-relevant multitasking, and work-related tasks were evaluated as more agentic than nonwork-related tasks. Ambiguous tasks were also rated as more agentic than task-irrelevant multitasking. Taken together, our results show that the nature of the secondary task reduces negative perceptions of coworkers' electronic multitasking behavior during meetings. However, electronic multitasking for any purpose, even if relevant, was generally judged negatively consistent with expectations for a counterproductive meeting behavior.

Desafios do fazer docente nas salas de recursos multifuncionais (SRM) / Challenges of teaching in multifunctional resource rooms (SRMs) / Desafíos del hacer docente en las salas de recursos multifuncionales (SRM)

Este artigo objetiva compreender a relação entre o prescrito na legislação brasileira para o desenvolvimento do trabalho nas salas de recursos multifuncionais (SRM) e a realidade do trabalho na rede municipal de ensino de uma cidade do Nordeste brasileiro, além de mostrar como se mobilizam subjetivamente as professoras desse local frente às condições e organização do trabalho que lhes são impostas. As SRM são espaços instituídos nas escolas públicas brasileiras para atender ao direito universal à educação aos que apresentam deficiências, transtornos globais do desenvolvimento, altas habilidades ou superdotação, por meio do Atendimento Educacional Especializado (AEE). É um serviço recente e pouco conhecido nacionalmente; por isso, é permeado de nuances e desafios que somente as docentes executantes conseguem externar. A pesquisa adotou a Psicodinâmica do Trabalho (PDT) como arcabouço teórico-metodológico e usou, como método de coleta de dados, visitas institucionais e encontros coletivos de discussão. Oito SRM foram visitadas na etapa da observação e 4 professoras participaram do grupo de discussão coletiva. Os resultados demonstraram que as docentes "se desdobram" para dar conta da defasagem entre o prescrito e a realidade do trabalho no AEE. Diante dos constrangimentos e da sobrecarga relacionados à organização do trabalho, vivenciam constantes sofrimentos patológicos e criativos, portanto, se mostraram ativas nas escolas. Há um adoecimento psíquico atrelado ao fazer dessas docentes, algumas das quais pediram para deixar o AEE.(AU)

This article aims to understand the relationship between what is prescribed in Brazilian legislation for the development of work in the Multifunctional Resource Rooms (SRMs) and the real work of the municipal education network of a city in the northeast of Brazil, and show how these teachers subjectively mobilize in view of the conditions and organization of work imposed on them. The Multifunctional Resource Rooms (SRMs) are established spaces in Brazilian public schools to comply with the universal right to education to those with disabilities, global developmental disorders, high skills, or gifts by the Specialized Educational Assistance (SEA). It's a recent service and barely known nationally, and that is why it is permeated by nuances and challenges that only the acting teachers can externalize. The search adopted the Psychodynamics of Work as a theoretical-methodological framework and institutional visits and collective discussion meetings as method of data collection. We visited eight SRMs during the observational stage and four teachers participated in the collective discussion meetings. The results showed that the teachers make do to account for the gap between the prescribed and the actual work of SEA. They confront the embarrassment and the overload related to the work organization that keep them in constant pathological and creative suffering for them to show themselves as active in schools. The work of these teachers is tied to a worsening psychic condition leading some to request to leave the SEA.(AU)

Este artículo tiene como objetivo comprender la relación entre lo prescrito por la legislación brasileña en cuanto al desarrollo del trabajo en las Salas de Recursos Multifuncionales (SRM) y el trabajo real de la red de educación municipal de una ciudad del noreste de Brasil, así como mostrar cómo movilizar a los profesores de este lugar en vista de las condiciones y organización del trabajo que se les imponen. Las SRM son espacios instituidos en las escuelas públicas brasileñas para atender el derecho universal a la educación a quienes presentan discapacidades, trastornos globales del desarrollo, altas habilidades o superdotación, mediante la Atención Educativa Especializada (AEE). Este es un servicio reciente y poco conocido en el país; por eso es permeado de matices y desafíos que solamente las docentes ejecutantes consiguen externar. La investigación adoptó la Psicodinámica del Trabajo como base teórico-metodológico y como método de recolección de datos las visitas institucionales y encuentros colectivos de discusión. Ocho SRM fueron visitadas en la etapa de observación y cuatro profesoras participaron en el grupo de discusión colectiva. Los resultados demostraron que las docentes trabajan mucho para dar cuenta del retraso entre lo prescrito y la realidad del trabajo en la AEE. Ante las restricciones y la sobrecarga laboral, vivencian sufrimientos patológicos y creativos, pero se mostraron activas en las escuelas. Hay una enfermedad psíquica sujeta al hacer de estas docentes, y algunas de ellas solicitaron salir de la AEE.(AU)

A novel approach: Simulating multiple simultaneous encounters to assess multitasking ability in emergency medicine.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this feasibility study is to develop and validate a new assessment tool and scoring system for multitasking competency for physicians in-training in a timed simulated setting. The multitasking competency includes ability to appropriately prioritize and implement tasks for different patients who present simultaneously. METHODS: We designed three single task stations with different levels of difficulty and priority. These skill stations were then combined to create a multitasking simulation scenario. Skill checklists and the global rating scale were utilized to assess the participants' performance. A multitasking score, multitasking index, and priority score were developed to measure the multitasking ability of participants. RESULTS: Thirty-three first-year postgraduate physicians were recruited for this prospective study. The total performance scores were significantly higher for the single-tasking stations than for the multitasking scenario. In terms of the time needed to complete the tasks, the participants spent more time on the multitasking scenario than on the single-tasking scenario. There were significant correlations between the global rating scale and the multitasking score (rho = 0.693, p < 0.001) and between the global rating scale and the multitasking index (rho = 0.515, p < 0.001). The multitasking score, multitasking index, and priority score did not have any significant correlations with the total single-tasking score. CONCLUSION: We demonstrated that the use of a simulated multitasking scenario could be an effective method of assessing multitasking ability and allow assessors to offer better quality feedback.

Video game and motor-cognitive dual-task training could be suitable treatments to improve dual-task interference in older adults.

The objective of study was to investigate the effects of video game training in comparison with traditional motor-cognitive dual-task training on dual-task interference in older adults. Sixty older adults were allocated to the video game (intervention group) or the motor-cognitive dual-task training (control group). The outcome measures were dual-task cost (DTC) of linear metrics (Standard deviation (SD) of amplitude and velocity) and DTC of nonlinear metrics (approximate entropy, Lyapunov and correlation dimension) acquired from postural sway time series from both the mediolateral (ML) and anteroposterior (AP) directions. The results revealed in both groups, dual-task cost of SD of amplitude and velocity as well as Lyapunov were significantly decreased in post-training and follow-up compared with pre-training (p < 0.017), while there was no significant difference between the groups. Video game and motor-cognitive dual-task training could be recommended as suitable treatments to improve dual-task interference.

Multitask learning over shared subspaces.

This paper uses constructs from machine learning to define pairs of learning tasks that either shared or did not share a common subspace. Human subjects then learnt these tasks using a feedback-based approach and we hypothesised that learning would be boosted for shared subspaces. Our findings broadly supported this hypothesis with either better performance on the second task if it shared the same subspace as the first, or positive correlations over task performance for shared subspaces. These empirical findings were compared to the behaviour of a Neural Network model trained using sequential Bayesian learning and human performance was found to be consistent with a minimal capacity variant of this model. Networks with an increased representational capacity, and networks without Bayesian learning, did not show these transfer effects. We propose that the concept of shared subspaces provides a useful framework for the experimental study of human multitask and transfer learning.

The mediating role of attention control in the link between multitasking with social media and academic performances among adolescents.

Prevalence of using social media services while learning, studying and doing homework is increasing rapidly among adolescents in the digital age. Although there is evidence for negative consequences of multitasking with social media, little is known about impact of social media multitasking from perspective attention control of self-regulation. This study examined the mediating role of attention control as a component of self-regulation in the link between social media multitasking and academic performances in a sample of adolescents who were recruited from high school students (N = 637). A correlational research design was used in the study. To examine study hypothesis, a mediation model was tested using simple mediation analysis in macro PROCESS (model 4). Results have revealed that attention control of self-regulation mediated the negative relationship between multitasking with social media and academic performances of the students. Multitasking with social media was a negatively significant predictor of academic performance, whereas attention control positively predicted academic performance. It implies that more frequent multitasking behavior with social media had lower attention control and poorer academic performances. The conclusions of the study suggest a critical role for attention control in decreasing negative effect of multitasking with social media on academic performances of adolescents in high school setting. Implications and suggestions for future studies are proposed.