Women and men perform equally when necessary to switch attention between tasks or perform two tasks simultaneously, according to a new study. The finding adds to a growing literature that contradicts the widely held belief that women multitask better than men.
Multitasking – performing several independent tasks within a short period of time – requires rapid and frequent shifting of attention from one task to another, increasing cognitive demand, compared to performing individual tasks sequentially. Despite little evidence for gender differences, the popular perception is overwhelming that women are better at multitasking than men.
In the current study, the authors compared the abilities of 48 men and 48 women to perform identification tasks using letters or numbers. Some experiments required participants to pay attention to two tasks at once (simultaneous multitasking), while others had to switch their attention between tasks (sequential multitasking). The researchers measured response time and accuracy for the multitasking experiments and for single task checks. They found that multitasking involved significant costs in both speed and accuracy for both men and women, and there was no difference between the two groups in the magnitude of the costs.
The set of potential tasks and underlying cognitive activities is vast, and no experiment can cover them all, the authors note. Differences in the literature on gender differences in multi-tasking may differ in the specific types of tasks assessed. However, the large sample size and lack of gender difference in this study indicate that at least for the underlying cognitive processes tested here—working memory updating, task sequence engagement and disconnection, and inhibition—men and women do the same well, or just as bad, when they try to multitask.
