John Costello
12th Grade
Pittsburgh Central Catholic HS
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Within the last decade, technology has given
us the opportunity to perform several tasks at
once.
People feel compelled to take advantages of
these conveniences simultaneously.
In 1999, only 16% of time spent using any
media involved a second form of media.
By 2005, the number nearly doubled.
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53% of students in grades 7-12 report
consuming some other form of media while
watching television
62% while using the computer
63% while listening to music
“I get bored if it’s not all going on at once.”
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Researchers believe that we can only focus on
one thing at a time.
We use executive control processes,
associated with the prefrontal cortex, as well
as the parietal cortex, to allocate the brain’s
resources.
Human prefrontal cortex – 1/3 of the entire
cortex
15% in monkeys and 5% in dogs
Switching from one progression of thought to
another can take up to half a second.
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A 2005 test found that “Workers distracted by
e-mail and phone calls suffer a fall in IQ more
than twice that found in marijuana smokers.”
A UCLA experiment found that performing
additional tasks switches brain activity from
the hippocampus, which stores and recalls
information, to the striatum, which functions
in rote memorization.
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The RAC Foundation, a British nonprofit,
found that drivers ages 17-24 were 35%
slower when writing a text message.
Additionally, many studies indicate that
multitasking increases secretion of stress
hormones and adrenaline, which can have
long term health effects.
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In 1990, 4.3 million Americans used cellular
phones.
As of October 2008, 266 million carried a
cell.
Similar trend in exists usage while driving.
A 2005 study concluded that cell phone
usage increases risk of crashing by a factor of
four, and can be as dangerous as driving
drunk.
A 2007 survey of 1,200 dangerous drivers
found that 73% used cell phones.
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A 2006 study showed that four-fifths of
crashes involve some form of inattention.
The most common cause of inattention was
cell phone use.
Five states have banned talking on a
handheld phone while driving.
Seven states have banned sending text
messages while driving.
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To determine if talking on a cell phone will
affect one’s performance in a driving
simulation.
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Null - the phone conversation will have no
significant effect on the drivers’
performances.
Alternative - the phone conversation will have
a significant effect on the drivers’
performances.
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20male subjects (ages 14-18)
Cell phone
Material to record answers
Play Station Portable game system with “Need
for Speed”
Stopwatch
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1. Have subject sit in a room with limited
distractions, with cell phone in pocket.
2. Ask subject a series of simple questions
with short answers which can be asked over
the phone; record answers.
3. Have subject play one round of the game;
record score.
4. Repeat Step 3 twice, with the identical
game.
5. Leave room and call subject’s cell phone.
6. Instruct subject to begin playing the game.
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7. Once they have done so, ask the first
question. If they answer correctly within 6
seconds, move on to the next question. If
they answer incorrectly, or fail to answer
within 6 seconds, record this as a 5-second
penalty to be added to final score.
8. Record subject’s final score, and add the
appropriate penalty, if any, to their time.
SUBJECT
PERCENT
TRIAL 1 (LC) TRIAL 2 (LC) TRIAL 3 (sec) TRIAL 4 (sec) DIFFERENCE CHANGE
1
discarded
discarded
154.1
169.9
15.8
10.253082
2
discarded
discarded
152.3
231.2
78.9
51.805647
3
discarded
discarded
172.3
192
19.7
01.679104
4
discarded
discarded
177.5
201.3
23.8
2.689487
5
discarded
discarded
179.4
175.9
-3.5
1.146497
6
discarded
discarded
182
140.1
-41.9
-23.021978
7
discarded
discarded
155.8
177.4
21.6
13.863928
8
discarded
discarded
153.4
172.5
19.1
12.451108
9
discarded
discarded
167.8
186
18.2
10.846246
10
discarded
discarded
145.9
169.4
23.5
16.106923
11
discarded
discarded
171.2
172.3
1.1
0.642523
12
discarded
discarded
158.3
194.6
36.3
22.931143
13
discarded
discarded
159.7
179.7
20
12.523482
14
discarded
discarded
166.2
195.2
29
17.448857
15
discarded
discarded
150.2
171
20.8
13.848202
16
discarded
discarded
159.9
184.5
24.6
15.384615
17
discarded
discarded
160.8
163.5
2.7
11.433546
18
discarded
discarded
163.6
168
4.4
13.408451
19
discarded
discarded
157
158.8
1.8
-1.950948
20
discarded
discarded
152
168.3
16.3
10.723684
Average Time
180
seconds
175
170
P-value:
average
.001316
165
160
155
150
1
2
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P-value is well below the .05 cut-off,
therefore the null hypothesis can be rejected.
The simulator is by no means a perfect
replication of real-world driving.
Time and resources did not allow for a larger
sample size.
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Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and
Performance, published by the American Psychological
Association (APA).
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/25/business/yourmoney/
25shortcuts.html
Christine Rosen, "The Myth of Multitasking," The New
Atlantis, Number 20, Spring 2008, pp. 105-110.
Virginia Tech Transportation Institute and the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
Human Factors and Ergonomics Society
Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co.
http://www.iii.org/media/hottopics/insurance/cellphones/
Institute of Psychiatry at the University of London