Distraction and Multitasking in the Modern Media World December 2, 2009

Our brains, despite extraordinary complexity and remarkable capabilities, have distinct limitations. The speed in which we process information, our short-term memory capacity and our ability to multitask can all be exceeded when demands are too great. Dr. Gazzaley explains how our brains manage the river of data that constantly floods it, how its capacities can be exceeded, and the consequences of this on our performance. He then presents a fascinating perspective on how our increasingly saturated world of media (e.g., pop-up windows, smart phones, texts, chat, emails), as well as growing expectations of immediate responsiveness, place excessive demands on our cognitive abilities. Failure of both young and older adults to successfully cope with this new environment has an impact on education and the workplace. The talk concludes with a discussion of whether the remedy may be within our own brains or will require modifying societal trends.

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