Srna Shalena, Schrift Rom Y, Zauberman Gal
1 Stephen M. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan.
2 The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
Psychol Sci. 2018 Oct 24:956797618801013. doi: 10.1177/0956797618801013.
With technological advancements, the desire, ability, and often necessity to multitask are pervasive. Although multitasking refers to the simultaneous execution of multiple tasks, most activities that require active attention cannot actually be done simultaneously. Therefore, whether a certain activity is considered multitasking is often a matter of perception. This article demonstrates the malleability of what people perceive as multitasking, showing that the same activity may or may not be construed as multitasking. Importantly, although engaging in multiple tasks may diminish performance, we found that, holding the activity constant, the mere perception of multitasking in fact improves performance. Across 32 studies (30 of which had performance-based incentives) containing a total of 8,242 participants, we found that individuals who perceived an activity as multitasking were more engaged and consequently outperformed those who perceived that same activity as single tasking.
随着技术进步，一心多用的欲望、能力以及通常的必要性已十分普遍。尽管一心多用指的是同时执行多项任务，但大多数需要积极关注的活动实际上无法同时进行。因此，某项活动是否被视为一心多用往往取决于认知。本文展示了人们对一心多用认知的可塑性，表明相同的活动可能被视为一心多用，也可能不被视为一心多用。重要的是，尽管从事多项任务可能会降低表现，但我们发现，在活动不变的情况下，仅仅是一心多用的认知实际上会提高表现。在涵盖总共8242名参与者的32项研究（其中30项有基于表现的激励措施）中，我们发现，将一项活动视为一心多用的个体参与度更高，因此表现优于那些将同一活动视为单任务的个体。
