Analysis of Youngsters' Media Multitasking Behaviors and Effect on Learning

Because of heavy media multitasking and the possibility of youngsters with current smart and handheld mobile computing devices, many controversies exist on the effects of media multitasking on an individual’s learning and behavior. To analyze the effects of media multitasking on youngsters, we have applied eye tracking technology to see their switching patterns between a primary task and interference ones. We also observed their performance given the task of taking an e-learning course while interference media such as web surfing and chatting were available. The analysis results show that frequent task switching occurs in High Media Multitasking (HMM) groups, and their performance was far below that of Low Media Multitasking (LMM) groups in the task of taking an e-learning course. From these results, it can be said that media multitasking definitely interferes with the primary tasks performance, and needs to be avoided for better performance* 1 .