Date of Award
10-19-2022
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Psychological Science, MS
First Advisor
Kristin Biondolillo
Committee Members
Jessica Curtis; Karen Yanowitz; Wayne Wilkinson
Call Number
LD 251 .A566t 2022 N59
Abstract
Research exploring the cognitive effects of media multitasking show a lack of convergent findings among studies that utilize the Media Multitasking Index (MMI) and behavioral measures of sustained attention. All these studies approached media multitasking as a linear construct with solely cumulative effects. To investigate the possibility that media multitasking may have immediate, direct effects on sustained attention, a laboratory media multitasking simulation was implemented alongside the MMI and the Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART). Eighty-one participants completed all measures; half experienced the media multitasking simulation. It was predicted that experimental participants would exhibit more post-simulation SART NOGO errors than the control group. It was also predicted that reports of heavy engagement in media multitasking would predict higher NOGO error rates on both SART administrations, regardless of experimental condition. While the data did not support either of these hypotheses, the findings may help illuminate some common methodological and measurement issues present in current media multitasking research. Keywords: media multitasking, cognition, sustained attention, attention lapses, media multitasking simulation, MMI, SART, Continuous Performance Tasks, ARCES
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Nix, Ryan, "Media Multitasking and Sustained Attention: An Experimental Investigation" (2022). Student Theses and Dissertations. 230.
https://arch.astate.edu/all-etd/230
