Multitasking: This is your brain on Media

Multitasking: This Is Your Brain On Media ***......... ..... New reports find that high multi-taskers are "lousy at everything that's necessary for multitasking." Considering the amount of time people spend with around-the-clock access to TV, the Internet and mobile devices, it's not surprising. The following is a look at the causes and effects of multitasking. Generation Wired How Much Time do Young People Spend Using Media? Young people aged 8 - 18 spend an average of over 7.5 hours every day consuming media. That's close to the 8 hours of recommended sleep every night. TV Music / Audio Computer Video Games Print Movies 1H 2H Зн 4H 5H 6H 7H 8H 10H 11H 12H 13H 14H 15H 1999 7 Hours 29 Minutes 2004 8 Hours 33 Minutes 2009 10 Hours 45 Minutes Multitasking Climbs Too* From 1999 to 2009, the percent of total media exposure young eople spent on multitasking increased by 13%. 1999 16% 2004 26% 2009 29% * Percentages are of total media exposure spent with more than one form of media. Media Addiction 2008 The stimulation provokes excitement ..that researchers 1960 say can be addictive. In its absence, people feel bored. Smartphone owners spend 30 minutes more a day on interacting with media compared to people who don't have smartphones. In 2008, people consumed 3 times as much information each day as they did in 1960. Amount of times people change windows or check e-mail: 37 times an hour. Seattle Times The Consequences of Multitasking Multitasking forces your brain to jump back and forth between competing streams of thought. This leads to... Inhibition of creative ability Inability to problem solve Slower Thinking Stress What Goes on in the Brain? .*****....**.. ......... ---........ ..........******** --------- Carnegie Mellon University's Dr. Marcel Just tested the brain's ability to do two things at once. By mapping brain activity during a single task and then during multitasking, he showed that overall brain activity decreases when people try to do two things at the same time. • = Brain Activity Language Comprehension Task Object Rotation + Lạnguage Comprehension Task Object Rotation Task Subjects listened to complex sentences and had to answer true/false questions. Subjects had to compare pairs of three- dimensional objects and rotate them mentally to see if they were the same. Subjects performed both tasks at the same time. Temporal Lobes Temporal Lobes RASMUSSEN PCOLLEG Sources: NYTimes.com | Report: Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8- to 18-Year-Olds", (#8010) The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, January 2010 | Ipsos OTX MediaCT syndicated study - LMX Family; conducted annually among 2000 U.S. online kids, ages 6 to 12, and a parent| Proceedings of the National Academy of Science | Carnigie Mellon University