H

ow many times have you attempted to multi-

task today? Did you check your emails while

ordering your morning coffee? Or update

your social media status while listening to

the news?

We have long known that engaging in two tasks simulta-

neously, even if they are simple, negatively impacts the perform-

ance of the component tasks. For example, conversing on a cell

phone while driving can impair performance as profoundly as

driving under the inluence of alcohol.

Frequent engagement in multitasking renders us vulnerable

to distraction, and can disrupt learning in the classroom. In

addition, our ability to multitask deteriorates as we age, and is

strongly impacted by neuropsychiatric injury or disease.

Thus, whether for safety, learning or health, understanding

the beneits and shortcomings of multitasking is of signiicance

yet remains poorly understood.

In order to multitask successfully, we depend on the co or-

dinated function of the frontal, parietal and subcortical regions

in the brain. Our frontal and parietal regions are incredibly

lexible information processors whose function is to coordi-

nate and prioritise all of the little tasks we perform in order to

meet our many daily goals. Disruption of these brain regions

causes problems in the mental functions that we need to success-

fully navigate daily life, such as keeping a shopping list in mind,

maintaining concentration on the road, or deciding not to

drink that second glass of wine because the two from the night

before didn’t help the next morning.

In contrast, our subcortical brain regions are crucial for us

to form skilled or habitual behaviours. Lesions in these areas will

affect how well we acquire or execute skilled behaviours.

But there is a cost to this lexibility: capacity. Since frontal

and parietal brain regions are involved in the execution of all

these useful mental functions, they are also in high demand.

This means that while your frontal and parietal neurons are

busy focusing on the email you just received on your phone,

they are unavailable to decode the words that were just addressed

to you in your ongoing conversation. This can lead you to fail

to perceive what was said, or delay your response until after

you’ve inished processing the email.

34 | MAY 2016

KELLY GARNER & PAUL DUX

As technology continues to become more richly embedded in our daily lives, so too comes the

increased demand and temptation to multitask. But can we improve our ability to do two

things at once?

KELLYGARNER&PAULDUX

GGeneration Multi

Kaspars Grinvalds/adobe