Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Hello, I am a student participating in a school science fair. In one of the requirements, it says that I have to interview at least two people on multitasking. It would be nice if anyone answers one or more of these questions, and please tell me your name Thank You So Much!

1. Is it unproductive to multitask? If so, why?

2. Is multitasking a myth?

3. Are super multitaskers real?

Hi ScienceFairStudent83,

Unfortunately we cannot answer questions that can be easily found through the use of a search engine. Please read through the interview guidelines for structuring interview questions (viewtopic.php?f=25&t=8944). Thus, the only question, out of the three, that we can answer is number one.

Is multitasking productive: I would not suggest "multitasking" to the average person because essentially what you would be doing is switching between multiple tasks that usually compete for the same parts of the brain, rather than actually engaging in both tasks at the same time. Some people can switch between tasks quicker than others can. They tend to display the same amount of quality on work that is created while "multitasking" as they do when the work is done separately. However, like mentioned earlier, they are part of the minority. Because one must constantly familiarize oneself to the task at hand after switching, "multitasking" on average creates errors and actually costs time. So no, multitasking in my opinion is neither efficient nor productive for most people.

Hopefully that helped! If you come up with new questions to ask that follow the guidelines feel free to ask away!
-Roya