Study states women aren't any better at multitasking than men
| Oct 1, 2018, 18:12 IST
The University of Bergen in Norway conducted a study and found that there are hardly any differences between men and women when it comes to multitasking. The researchers developed a computerised task — The Meeting Preparation Task (CMPT) that apart from being designed to resemble everyday activities was also grounded in the most comprehensive theoretical model of multitasking activities.
University College London professor, Paul Burgess defines multitasking as two types, one as concurrent, which means doing two or more activities at one time and serial, which meant a person changes between tasks separately. It was further explained that people often chose to do the latter. A group of 66 women and 82 men all aged between 18-60 were asked to prepare for a meeting while dealing with issues such as missing chairs and incoming phone calls.
Their performances were then compared based on a group of factors like how long it took them to complete the task and whether it was completed accurately. "We found no differences between men and women in terms of serial multitasking abilities," they wrote.
University College London professor, Paul Burgess defines multitasking as two types, one as concurrent, which means doing two or more activities at one time and serial, which meant a person changes between tasks separately. It was further explained that people often chose to do the latter. A group of 66 women and 82 men all aged between 18-60 were asked to prepare for a meeting while dealing with issues such as missing chairs and incoming phone calls.
Their performances were then compared based on a group of factors like how long it took them to complete the task and whether it was completed accurately. "We found no differences between men and women in terms of serial multitasking abilities," they wrote.