Attentional control and engagement with digital technology

Multiple demands comprise the efficiency of attentional control1. There is abundant evidence that when an individual attempts two or more attentionally demanding activities at the same time, the allocation of attention to the tasks is limited and performance suffers as a result2. Yet, recent technological innovations require many individuals to manage multiple digital technologies simultaneously or to switch attentional control between tasks3. The ability to multitask with various digital technologies involves dividing attention, switching between tasks, and keeping track of multiple strands of information in working memory. Here we examine the impact of the quality of multitasking on attentional control. Using real world engagement with digital technology to address the issue, we found that active and passive digital technology users have qualitatively different profiles of attentional control. Active digital technology users prefer to process information in parallel, while passive digital technology users process information successively and so they find it easier to focus on a target and filter out distractions. These differing profiles of attentional control have implications for ways in which we best respond to demands in the workplace4. There are two competing theories to account for how multitasking impacts attentional control