"Look Harder!" ADHD, Media Multitasking, and the Effects of Cognitive and Perceptual Load on Resource Availability and Processing Performance

• In Event: Foundations in Communication Science and Biology

Abstract

Within the media psychology literature, a clear pattern has emerged wherein certain media use patterns, such as self-reported media multitasking, are associated with greater self-reported difficulty in task-switching, inhibition of irrelevant distractors, and reduced cognitive control. Interestingly, though, this relationship is not clearly supported in studies wherein abilities are tested using a task or stimulus. Recent research suggests that cognitive control and task switching ability depend not only on the amount of load in the cognitive system, but also on the processing stage that is loaded by the task. In this manuscript, preliminary data from an experiment is reported wherein cognitive and perceptual load are manipulated independently using a custom-developed video game stimulus. It was found that increasing cognitive load results in lower performance in the primary task (video game play) as well as increased secondary task reaction time. Additionally, results indicate that media multitaskers perform worse than non-media multitaskers in the primary task with no differences in secondary task reaction time. Results are discussed in light of current controversy in the literature regarding cognitive performance of media multitaskers.

Authors

• Jacob T Fisher, The U of California, Santa Barbara

• Frederic Rene Hopp, U of California, Santa Barbara

• Rene Weber, U of California - Santa Barbara