In everyday life, many people try to do multiple things at once. For example, they might write messages, listen to a podcast, and work on a computer at the same time.
This creates the impression that the brain can manage several tasks simultaneously. As a result, many people believe they are good at multitasking.
However, researchers have long investigated whether the brain can actually perform multiple tasks at the same time, or whether something else happens in the brain.
Experiments with multiple tasks
A study from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, the University of Hagen, and Medical School Hamburg examined this question more closely.
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The results were published in the journal Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology.
In the experiment, participants had to complete two tasks at the same time. Using their right hand, they indicated the size of a circle that briefly appeared on a screen.
At the same time, they had to determine whether a sound was high, medium, or low.
The experiment was repeated for up to twelve days while researchers measured the speed and accuracy of the participants’ responses.
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Can we multitask?
After several days of training, participants became faster and made fewer mistakes. This could suggest that people improve at handling multiple tasks.
However, the research also shows something else. The brain does not perform two tasks at the same time.
Instead, the brain switches very quickly between tasks. Even small changes in the tasks can therefore slow people down and lead to more errors.
The results also show that multitasking can be risky in certain situations, for example when talking on the phone while driving a car.
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Sources: HealthDay, and Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology.
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