Responding to Questions about Article Critiques

1.  Did you say TV is the least likely to be part of multitasking? Is that true for TV as both the primary and secondary media? (I.e., I almost always do something else while watching TV, but I rarely watch TV while I’m doing something else.)


It is true that, according to the study result of Foehr, TV is least likely to be multitasked with another medium. As it shows below, only 17% of respondents’ media multitasking time has television involved, either as primary or secondary media. Honestly, the researcher found the survey result of television is surprising too. 

They analyzed the parings of media multitasking regardless of whether the media were primary or secondary activities. It is reasonable to think that TV is seldom used as secondary media, which accounts for the low percentage of its time used with another medium. I think it’s better to make a distinction of TV between being primary or secondary to study it in different scenario, because the researcher in this study did not expect such outcome of television.

2.         Do you have any suggestion for young people on multitasking?

The most reason why I think this is a good study because the author gave broader implications expect his illustration and discussion of the statistical result, which concerns about young people’s behaviors, psychological and neurological changes during media multitasking, also some predictions and suggestions for them.

From my view, I do have suggestions for young people on media multitasking. Since more and more young people become multitaskers, they should better know whether their working efficiency has been improved or not and what is the best way for them to multitask. For example, do I really finish my homework better with the help of computer and instant message at the same time? Do I get along well better with writing emails and reading online than texting message while reading online. Make stop in time if you find yourself not being capable of doing too much multitasking.

3.  Thinking about multitasking, does using a laptop in a classroom setting / learning environment facilitate learning? Or does it hinder learning?


Actually in this research, the researcher didn’t cover the analysis of using laptop in classroom, considering that it was published in 2006. I do think now laptop using in classroom is very important for studying multitasking for education. I think there is no definite answer to decide whether it is helpful or harmful to use laptop in classroom, it really depends on how much time and how you multitask.

The author also brought up an idea in the study that “we cannot process simultaneously multiple non-related messages.” It means the brain only responds when multiple information on different medium are relative, other wise we cannot process. Thinking about using laptop during class, if we use laptop to take notes, search relevant information simultaneously, our brain can process these messages and thus facilitates out studying process. On the contrary, if we use laptop for irrelevant activities during the class, our brains decline to get the information therefore do harm to our studying efficiency.