| dc.description.abstract | The literature investigating the effects of media multitasking on executive function has found mixed results, with both negative and null effects being reported. However, the majority of these findings have been derived from paradigms originally used to investigate other, more specific cognitive processes not necessarily analogous to multitasking, such as working memory. As such, the literature is sorely in need of a paradigm devised solely to emulate a real-world multitasking environment. In chapter 1 of this dissertation, the current state of the media multitasking literature is discussed, with attention being brought to the current lack of an ecologically valid paradigm to assess real-world multitasking. In chapter 2, we detail the first iteration of this paradigm. It consists of a primary and secondary task, with prompts to switch to the secondary task displayed on random trials, similar to a modern-day computer environment. We used this paradigm in. conjunction with the Media Use Questionnaire, Multitasking Preference Inventory, and Barratt’s Impulsiveness Scale to examine for an effect of media use frequency, multitasking preference, and impulsivity, respectively, on task performance within the paradigm. We found several weak relationships between media use frequency and task performance, with inconsequential findings regarding the latter two measures. We also identified several areas for improvement in our paradigm, such as an improvement to performance incentivization to encourage more task switches. This, in chapter 3, we addressed these issues and added two further components to the experimental procedure, including transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and electroencephalography (EEG). We expected to replicate the negative effect of media use frequency on task performance seen in chapter 2, but we instead found a mix of anecdotal and moderate evidence for a null effect, suggesting that media multitasking incidence does not affect cognitive function. We also expected to see differences in ERP (event related potential) elicitation during EEG recording in primary task popup representation, but we found very little evidence supporting this prediction. Finally, we also found no evidence of an effect of tDCS stimulation on task performance. In chapter 4, we added a “distractor” popup that would occasionally take the place of a switch popup to test for differences in distractor filtering. We again examined for a relationship between media use frequency and task performance, including distractor filtering, as well as differences in primary task and popup representation using EEG. Replicating our findings in chapter 3, we found no effect of media multitasking on task performance, and no differences in ERP amplitude with media use frequency as a covariate. Taken together, these results inform the current prevailing literature stating that media use incidence is not related to executive function as indexed by task performance. Despite this, there are many future directions the literature may take, and these are detailed in chapter 5. | |
