University of Oregon Study on Multitasking and Computer Efficiency

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Eva Sylwester
February 18, 2005

Many University students commonly multi-task, using a computer to engage in multiple activities at the same time. However, some University professors say multi-tasking is not entirely productive. "We know that multi-tasking has a cost. It has a true ... performance cost," psychology professor Ulrich Mayr said.
Junior multimedia design major Eric Beltran said when he uses a computer, he usually has three or four applications open at the same time: homework, e-mail, AOL Instant Messenger and sometimes a game such as Minesweeper.

"Yeah, really, it slows down my homework," Beltran said. "I guess I'm just easily distracted, and there are distractions available on the computer."

Computer and information science assistant professor Anthony Hornof researches human-computer interaction at the University.

"As soon as the computer starts giving you tasks and you start accepting tasks from the computer, people start thinking they can handle more distractions than they really can," Hornof said.

Hornof said awareness of computer distractions is continually increasing. While e-mail spam was once considered easy to delete, it is now recognized by the U.S. Congress as an enormous problem for worker productivity, he said.

Hornof's research also illustrates that online banner advertisements can be a distraction. "My research shows that it's true people do not remember the content of the banner ads, but they still slow you down," Hornof said.

Mayr researches the amount of time it takes people to switch between tasks. In the studies, people perform simple computer tasks, related to the colors and shapes of objects, in a certain order.

"If you go from task A to task B, you actually have to suppress in your mind task A," Mayr said. "The bottom line is, it can be really hard for people to switch back and forth between a limited number of tasks because you have to suppress a task, and it takes you longer to get back to it."

But multi-tasking, on some level, is an unavoidable part of life. "Some multi-tasking activities are crucial, such as being able to follow a lecture and take notes at the same time," Hornof said. "Students tend to be very good at this particular multi-tasking activity."

However, some types of multi-tasking are more problematic than others.

Mayr said the more similar the two tasks are, the more difficult it is to do them at the same time. He gave the example of a person trying simultaneously to drive a car to one place while talking on a cell phone and giving someone directions to a different place.

Source: Oregon Daily Emerald