Reading Exercise: Multitasking

Do you read while listening to music? Do you enjoy watching TV while completing your assignments? People who exhibit these habits are often referred to as multitaskers.

Multitaskers can handle two tasks simultaneously by splitting their attention. However, according to Thomas Lehman, a psychologist, individuals never truly perform multiple activities simultaneously. While someone might read while listening to music, the brain actually focuses on one task at a time. Reading a book's words, for instance, means ignoring some lyrics from the music. People may think they're efficiently handling two tasks, but they're actually dividing their focus. When listening to music, their ability to focus on their surroundings diminishes. For example, we've all had experiences where friends don't respond appropriately—perhaps they're listening to someone else or reading a text on their phone, not hearing your words. Lehman termed this phenomenon “email voice.”

B

Computers and their derivatives such as smart-phones or cellphones have profoundly altered the world. Now, with nearly everyone owning a personal device like a smart-phone or laptop, people are frequently engaged in reading, watching, or listening to virtual information. This has led to a rise in multitasking in our daily lives. Nowadays, during work, individuals often use their typewriters alongside their cellphones, with colleagues dropping by unexpectedly. In professional meetings where people typically focus on listening to each other, it's common to find someone with a cellphone on their lap, quietly reading or messaging multiple people, highlighting the impact of inventions like cordless phones in increasing multitasking. In the past, when a traditional wall phone rang, the housewife would have to interrupt her activities to answer it. Now, with modern technology, interruptions are minimized, allowing tasks to continue uninterrupted.

C

Earl Miller, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology expert, researched the prefrontal cortex's role in multitasking. According to his findings, the size of this cortex varies across species. In humans, it constitutes about one third of the brain, whereas it's only 4 to 5 percent in dogs and approximately 15 percent in monkeys. Due to its larger size in humans, this cortex enables greater flexibility and accuracy in multitasking. Miller's further experiments aimed to determine whether the cortex truly processes information from two different tasks simultaneously. Using visual stimuli to simulate multitasking scenarios, Miller monitored brain activity by attaching sensors to subjects' heads. These sensors detected neuronal activity, revealing that neurons process tasks sequentially rather than simultaneously.

D

Davis Meyer, a professor at the University of Michigan, conducted a study involving young adults. He asked them to concurrently solve math problems and categorize simple words. Meyer observed that what appears to be simultaneous multitasking is actually task-switching. Despite attempts to perform both tasks simultaneously, subjects ultimately completed both tasks, albeit taking more time compared to focusing on one task at a time.

E

Gloria Mark studied office workers and found that multitasking leads to reduced efficiency. She observed that workers are interrupted approximately every 11 minutes at work. While multitasking may save time, it does not necessarily enhance efficiency. People are equally likely to interrupt themselves as they are to be interrupted by external sources. Mark noted that employees in offices pause for no apparent reason every 12 minutes to check websites, make calls, or send emails. Extended concentration periods longer than 20 minutes can cause distress, suggesting a naturally short attention span that may be exacerbated by modern technology. With constant access to distractions like cellphones and computers, people are accustomed to consuming media that requires short attention spans, such as advertisements, music, news articles, and TV shows.

F

Edward Hallowell discusses how multitasking, distractions, and self-interruptions decrease workplace efficiency. While focusing on a single task is optimal for the brain, real-life environments often demand multitasking. Hallowell suggests that workplace improvements do not need to be drastic to combat these issues.

No one is proposing a ban on email or restricting employees to single-tasking. However, some workplace activities, like group meetings, could benefit from banning common distractions such as cellphones. Strategies to prevent self-interruption include dedicating uninterrupted time to a single task, rather than checking emails as soon as one arrives at the office. Self-timing can enhance focus and productivity by discouraging multitasking.

Questions 1-5

Reading Passage 2 has six paragraphs, A-F.

Which paragraph contains the following information?

Write the correct letter, A-F, in boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet

1  a reference to a domestic situation that does not require multitasking

2  a possible explanation of why we always do multitask together

3  a practical solution to multitask in work environment

4  relating multitasking to the size of prefrontal cortex

5  longer time spent doing two tasks at the same time than one at a time

Questions 6-10

Look at the following statements (Questions 6-10) and the list of scientists below.

Match each statement with the correct scientist, A-E.

Write the correct letter, A-E, in boxes 6-10 on your answer sheet. NB

You may use any letter more than once.

List of Scientists

A Thomas Lehman

B Earl Miller

C David Meyer

D Gloria Mark

E Edward Hallowell

6 When faced with multiple visual stimulants, one can only concentrate on one of them.

7 Doing two things together may be faster but not better.

8 People never really do two things together even if you think you do.

9 The causes of multitasking lie in the environment.

10 Even minor changes in the workplace will improve work efficiency

Questions 11-13

Complete the sentences below.

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 11-13 on your answer sheet.

A term used to refer to a situation when you are reading a text and cannot focus on your surroundings is 11… .

The 12…  part of the brain controls multitasking.

The practical solution of multitask in work is not to allow use of cellphone in 13… .

Answers

1. B (Đoạn B, “In the old days, a traditional wall phone would ring, and then the housewife would have to stop her activities to answer it. … In the modern era, our technology is convenient enough to not interrupt our daily tasks.)

2. E (Đoạn E, “He observed that nearly every 11 minutes people…”)

3. F (Đoạn F, “ According to human nature, people feel more comfortable and efficient in environments with a variety of tasks…”)

4. C (Đoạn C, “He found that for humans, the size of this part constitutes one third of the brain, while it is only 4 to 5 percent in dogs, and about 15% in monkeys.”)

5. D (Đoạn D, “ Even though the people tried to do the tasks at the same time, and both tasks were eventually accomplished, overall, the task took more time than if the person focused on a single task one at a time.”

6. B (Đoạn C, “What he found is that the brain neurons only lit up in singular areas one at a time, and never simultaneously.”)

7. D (Đoạn E, “He found that doing different jobs at the same time may actually save time. However, despite the fact that they are faster, it does not mean they are more efficient.”)

8. A (Đoạn A, “Thomas Lehman, a researcher in Psychology, believes people never really do multiple things simultaneously. Maybe a person is reading while listening to music, but in reality, the brain can only focus on one task.”)

9. & 10. E (Đoạn F, “Edward Hallowell said that people are losing a lot of efficiency … A person can also apply these tips to prevent self-distraction.)

11. email voice (Đoạn A, “Lehman called this phenomenon “email voice“”)

12. prefrontal cortex (Đoạn C, “Earl Miller, an expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, studied the prefrontal cortex, which controls the brain while a person is multitasking.”)