Why yes, I do have a psych project that got moved up a week when I was late already. Why do you ask?

[icarus]

Why yes, I do have a psych project that got moved up a week when I already was starting late. Why do you ask?

Yes, here's an online stopwatch to use for this.

If you're curious, I ended up with a 73% inefficiency rating when I did the math. I had a math person check it. Yes. It takes me 73% longer if I multitask. O.O

Poll #15155 Multi-tasking/school/study poll

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 12

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Concerning study habits, in a typical study session:

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I have music playing.
4 (36.4%)

I have the TV on.
0 (0.0%)

I go back and forth between study and the internet.
3 (27.3%)

I have some kind of texting going.
0 (0.0%)

I have two or more media sources going (TV, internet, texting, music).
0 (0.0%)

I study with other people around (by choice).
0 (0.0%)

I vant to be alone when I study.
8 (72.7%)

I do not study but I pet the ticky boxes, which are warm and fuzzy.
3 (27.3%)

I study tickies.
2 (18.2%)

I study polls.
2 (18.2%)

Things that are true about me:

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I am an undergrad.
0 (0.0%)

I am a grad student.
2 (18.2%)

I am in high school.
0 (0.0%)

Oh, it's been three or more years since I was in school.
9 (81.8%)

When it comes to texting during lectures...

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I have most commonly sent quick texts (an answer and response, then done).
2 (18.2%)

I have most commonly engaged in brief texting (about a dozen back and forth comments, then done).
0 (0.0%)

I have most commonly engaged in sustained texting (texting conversations of fifteen minutes or more).
0 (0.0%)

I have never texted during a lecture.
5 (45.5%)

What is this texting of which you speak?
4 (36.4%)

When it comes to texting during class discussions and activities...

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I have most commonly sent quick texts (an answer and response, then done).
1 (9.1%)

I have most commonly engaged in brief texting (about a dozen back and forth comments, then done).
0 (0.0%)

I have most commonly engaged in sustained texting (texting conversations of fifteen minutes or more).
0 (0.0%)

I have never texted during a discussion or activity.
7 (63.6%)

Seriously, what is this texting thing?
3 (27.3%)

Ahem. I consider myself to be...

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Very good at multitasking.
0 (0.0%)

Good at multitasking.
0 (0.0%)

Somewhat good at multitasking.
2 (18.2%)

Average at multitasking.
7 (63.6%)

Somewhat bad at multitasking.
2 (18.2%)

Bad at multitasking.
0 (0.0%)

Very bad at multitasking
0 (0.0%)

Now time for the activity! You can use this timer: http://stopwatch.onlineclock.net/ Time yourself counting from 1-10. How many seconds did it take? (This is TIME A)

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Now time yourself reciting the first ten letters of the alphabet, A-J. How many seconds did it take? (This is TIME B)

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Finally, time yourself alternating between numbers and letters (example: A - 1, B - 2), using 1-10 and A-J. How many seconds did it take? (This is TIME C)

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Regarding this poll...

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So what's the deal with the tickies?
2 (16.7%)

What's the deal with the poll?
4 (33.3%)

Oh, man, you have a psych project due Wednesday?
6 (50.0%)

Don't you think you started a little late?
3 (25.0%)

I can't believe you're actually going to do math.
4 (33.3%)

I love to do math and am pleased to know that formula to calculate my multi-tasking efficiency is A + B = X, then C - X = Y, then X/Y = Z, then Z - 1 = my percentage of extra time it takes to multitask.
5 (41.7%)

Glllrgh, look at all that math.
4 (33.3%)

Icarus, that formula is wrong and I'll correct you in comments.
0 (0.0%)

Yikes, math -- ooo, ticky!
6 (50.0%)

Comments

[mecurtin]

I maybe did the thing wrong -- for A I timed myself counting 1-mississippi, 2-mississippi, etc. Just plain counting, 2.361 sec.

[icarus]

Ah, yes, I'll correct that. No need for 1-Mississippi, etc.

Thank you!

[icarus]

Love the "I am so SMRT" icon, by the way.

2.4 + 3.2 = 6.6 (X)
25 - 6.6 = 18.4 (Y)
6.6 / 18.4 = 0.36 (Z)
0.36 - 1 = 64% inefficiency when multitasking.

So if two tasks would take you ten minutes together if you did them separately, then if you multitasked, they would take you about 16.4 minutes in switching time.

My numbers on my second attempt (when I got a little better at remembering the alphabet, hah) were:
1.7 + 2.1 = 3.8 (X)
15.0 - 3.8 = 11.2 (Y)
3.8 / 11.2 = 0.34 (Z)
0.34 - 1 = 66% inefficiency

[wyomingnot]

except 2.4 + 3.2 = 5.6 not 6.6

[icarus]

So it is. Ah, the frustrated face of my high school math teacher swims into view, as I continually make errors like this.

[wyomingnot]

That was always my downfall... the simple stuff. Do a long, hairy calculus problem... execute the steps perfectly... still get it wrong because I multiplied instead of added despite *intending* to add. 2 * 3 is 6. That's exactly the kind of error I made.

[gehayi]

Numbers are hard for me. I found it almost impossible to switch back and forth.

[icarus]

Weirdly, I'm slower at the alphabet than I am at numbers. But the speed overall isn't as important as the difference in switching. Since we're usually pretty habituated to counting and the alphabet, the extra time is purely the slosh in switching between tasks.

[azurelunatic]

I don't think it's pure slosh. For me, I can swap back and forth quickly through D, reasonably quickly through E. After F, it becomes apparent that I do not know the order of the letters F-I cold; I have to take a good run up at it starting from A. I know the order of JKLM, and MNOP, but after that I'm muddling around until I hit XYZ.

A-E x2 = 06.694

1-5 x2 = 06.159

A,1 - E,5 x2 = 14.620 rather than the 17 and change that A-J and 1-10 interleaved got me.

[azurelunatic]

6.7 + 6.2 = 12.9 (X)
14.6 - 12.9 = 1.7 (Y)
12.9/1.7 = 7.5 (Z)
7.5 - 1 = 6.5% inefficiency? I'm eyeing this math dubiously.

Seat of the pants proportions tell me that using A-J leaves me around 33% inefficient, which is a reasonable thing for tasks which require flow like talking to a co-worker and writing an email, which is a reasonable thing to assume rather than two tasks which can be started cold without much loss, like sorting papers and addressing envelopes.

[icarus]

Me and math are not a very good mix. I tried to run this by someone who's more math-y, but she was pretty tired.

[icarus]

Bloody cat just stomped on my keyboard and erased my comment.

This is just a thumbnail sketch of time lag. The real study involved learning a new task (weather prediction) with actual multitasking, pausing to record beeps.

The results were worse than just slower processing speed. The students who learned while multitasking were unable to generalize from what they learned. They remembered information just fine (so could do well on a multiple choice test) but couldn't actually use their reasoning to predict weather. The knowledge went into a more superficial memory storage because of the multitasking.

[icarus]

5.8 + 3.0 = 8.8 (X)
31.0 - 8.8 = 22.2 (Y)
8.8 / 22.2 = 0.40 (Z)
0.40 - 1 = 60% inefficiency when multitasking -- which is pretty close to mine.

[busaikko]

What about those of us who study with others around but not by choice...? And those others are watching TV and/or playing Wii...

I could have read the letters-numbers faster if I'd written them down: both the alphabet and the numbers I don't even need to think about to recite (it's a verbal blur of "ontathrfofisissevneiniten" all as one word; breaking that up was hard. It'd be interesting to compare with two lists of things that I didn't have memorized, where I needed to concentrate both on the separate lists and on those smooshed together.)

Er. Also, I was only able to keep the numbers-letters in order by counting on my fingers. I bet no one else will confess to that!

[wyomingnot]

I was only able to keep the numbers-letters in order by counting on my fingers.

That was the *only* way I could do it at all!

[busaikko]

*g* Great minds twitch their thumbs alike! Or something! (Maybe I should give myself an alphabet manicure *ponders*)

[icarus]

I did think of that, since I used to be in that position, but I decided that I intended the question to be about choices we make in our study habits, rather than circumstances beyond our control.

Best not to write the letters/numbers down, because when I gave this test to my students yesterday, I didn't have them write anything down. It's a better test of mental switching that way.

Most did the switching between 9 - 30 seconds, an enormous range.

When I've repeated the test, my switching speed's improved, which suggests that the more routine the task, the less switching time's involved.