Department of General Psychology: Cognition and Center for Behavioral Addiction Research (CeBAR), University of Duisburg-Essen, Forsthausweg 2, 47057, Duisburg, Germany.
Erwin L. Hahn Institute for Magnetic Resonance Tomography, Essen, Germany.
Cogn Process. 2021 Nov;22(4):593-607. doi: 10.1007/s10339-021-01029-2. Epub 2021 May 28.
In several studies, individuals who reported to frequently multitask with different media displayed reduced cognitive performance, for example in fluid intelligence and executive functioning. These cognitive functions are relevant for making advantageous decisions under both objective risk (requiring reflection and strategical planning) and ambiguous risk (requiring learning from feedback). Thus, compared to low media multitaskers (LMMs), high media multitaskers (HMMs) may perform worse in both types of decision situations. The current study investigated HMMs and LMMs in a laboratory setting with the Game of Dice Task (GDT; objective risk), the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT; ambiguous risk), various tests quantifying cognitive functions (logical reasoning, working memory, information processing, general executive functions), and self-report measures of impulsivity, media multitasking expectancies, and problematic Internet use. From 182 participants, 25 HMMs and 19 LMMs were identified using the Media Multitasking Index. Results show that HMMs compared to LMMs performed weaker on the IGT but not on the GDT. Furthermore, HMMs had slightly decreased performance in tests of logical reasoning and working memory capacity. HMMs tended to increased information processing speed but this difference was not significant. Furthermore, HMMs have more positive expectancies regarding media multitasking and reported higher tendencies toward problematic Internet use. HMMs and LMMs did not differ significantly with respect to impulsivity and executive functions. The results give a first hint that HMMs may have difficulties in decision-making under ambiguous but not under objective risk. HMMs may be more prone to errors in tasks that require feedback processing. However, HMMs appear not to be impaired in aspects of long-term strategic decision-making.
在几项研究中，报告经常使用不同媒体进行多任务处理的个体表现出认知能力下降，例如在流体智力和执行功能方面。这些认知功能对于在客观风险（需要反思和策略规划）和模糊风险（需要从反馈中学习）下做出有利决策都很重要。因此，与低媒体多任务处理者（LMM）相比，高媒体多任务处理者（HMM）在这两种决策情境中表现可能更差。本研究在实验室环境中使用骰子游戏任务（GDT；客观风险）、爱荷华赌博任务（IGT；模糊风险）、各种量化认知功能的测试（逻辑推理、工作记忆、信息处理、一般执行功能）以及冲动性、媒体多任务处理期望和问题性互联网使用的自我报告测量来研究 HMM 和 LMM。从 182 名参与者中，使用媒体多任务处理指数确定了 25 名 HMM 和 19 名 LMM。结果表明，与 LMM 相比，HMM 在 IGT 上的表现较弱，但在 GDT 上则不然。此外，HMM 在逻辑推理和工作记忆容量测试中的表现略有下降。HMM 倾向于提高信息处理速度，但这种差异并不显著。此外，HMM 对媒体多任务处理的期望更为积极，并报告说他们更倾向于使用问题性互联网。HMM 和 LMM 在冲动性和执行功能方面没有显著差异。研究结果初步表明，HMM 在模糊风险下的决策可能存在困难，但在客观风险下则不然。HMM 在需要反馈处理的任务中可能更容易出错。然而，HMM 似乎在长期战略决策方面没有受到影响。
