THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MEDIA MULTITASKING, WORKING MEMORY AND SUSTAINED ATTENTION

Using more than one device simultaneously is almost inevitable in our daily lives because we face an overload of information and digital devices. As a result, the effects of multitasking on working memory and sustained attention have become a popular research topic in the literature, even if with inconsistent results. The current study aims to examine the effects of media multitasking behavior on sustained attention and working memory with a sample of Turkish young adults. Continuous Performance Task (CPT) and Digit Span tasks were employed for sustained attention and working memory, respectively. The results showed that media multitasking correlated positively with digit span task performance and negatively with the reaction time of false response in the CPT task. That is to say, media multitasking may improve working memory performance but inhibit maintaining attention. The results are discussed in the light of theories of limited capacity, multiple resources, and neural plasticity.