Essay On Multitasking And Learning

It is a worldwide belief that multitasking is a harmless and a quick way to get various things done. Most businesses even see multitasking as a great skill for their employees to have. Recent studies however, focused on the effects of multitasking have shown that multitasking is neither harmless or as helpful as people think. This is even more true when it comes to multitasking while trying to learn something. Many individuals may claim they can equally multitask and learn, but research has quickly disproven the notion. A person simply cannot multitask and learn effectively at the same time, doing so only causes them to constantly lose focus, overwork the brain, and develop weak connections. Deciding to multitask while learning is unbeneficial …show more content…
This found in a study done by psychology professor Russell Poldrack, is due to the fact that individuals who are multitasking while learning, “show activity in the striatum, a region of the brain involved in learning new skills; brain scans of people who are not distracted show activity in the hippocampus, a region involved in storing and recalling information.” Further he states in his study that multitasking effects the way one learns because if one learns “while multitasking, that learning is less flexible and more specialized, so you cannot retrieve the information as easily” (Rosen 107). A great example of this can be seen in students who choose to play with their phones in class when learning. As it is these students who are usually the ones having a harder time recalling information and needing extra help. Along those lines making weaker connects can possibly, but is not yet proven through research to cause those who multitask when learning to get lower grades. At least compared to individuals who do not multitask when trying to learn (Deggans, 1). As it stands though those who choose to multitask and learn are willingly putting themselves at a