Don't Distract Me When I'm Media Multitasking: Toward a Theory for Raising Advertising Recall and Recognition

Media multitasking, such as using handheld devices like smartphones and tablets while watching TV, has become prevalent but its effect on the recall and recognition of advertising subject to limited academic research. We contend that the context in which multitasking takes place affects consumer memory for advertising delivered via the primary activity (e.g., watching television). Specifically, we identify the importance of the degree of (a) congruence between the primary and second screen activity and (b) social accountability of second screen activities. We test our typology empirically by examining the determinants of next day recall and recognition for billboard advertisers (perimeter board advertisements) of a televised football (soccer) match. In line with our theory, in most cases media multitasking leads to worse recall and recognition, however, in situations where there is congruence between primary and second screen activities and secondary activities have a higher level of social accountability attached to them, then advertising recall and recognition improves

Media Multitasking Among American Youth: Prevalence, Predictors and Pairings

In recent years, the issue of media multitasking has sparked a broad discussion about the potential impact on children and youth and has raised concerns among non-profits about how best to engage young people with social marketing campaigns.To help advance understanding about the issues that surround media multitasking, the Kaiser Family Foundation hosted a forum, The Teen Media Juggling Act: The Implications of Media Multitasking Among American Youth.Forum participants included executives from MTV and eMarketer, a leading market research firm, along with one of the nation's top cognitive neuroscientists, and experts on media use among young people

Are Individual Differences in Media Multitasking Habits Associated with Changes in Brain Activation: An ERP Investigation of Multitasking and Cognitive Control

As the number of mobile phone users grows, understanding the impact of multiple streams of media on media multitasking and related neural correlates is especially pertinent. This research aims to understand the association between media multitasking tendencies on the neural correlates underlying cognitive control using event-related potentials (ERPs). Specifically, we were interested in the N2 and P3, ERPs that measure neural activation underlying aspects of cognitive control. Based on the literature, we predicted that participants who have high media multitasking scores would show more negative N2 activation and more positive P3 activation than their low media multitasking counterparts during an AX-CPT task, indicating less efficient neural processing. However, we did not find the expected pattern of results. It is possible that reactive and proactive control are not related to digital media multitasking or it may be that some potential design issues impacted our results. The current paper will explore these issues

Mother\u27s experience of social media: Its impact on children and the home

With the prevalence and accessibility of social media within the last 15 years it has become possible for children to have constant access to their friends and social networks. It is relatively unknown what impact adopting social media has on children and how mothers interpret this. There are gaps in the literature investigating the pervasive effects of modern technology and what meaning mothers ascribe to their children using social media as a method of connecting with the world. The present research aims to explore this phenomenon by investigating the experiences of mothers who have children that have recently adopted social media. It also examines how mothers are interpreting the impact of this phenomenon on themselves and their family. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight mothers who had a child between the age of nine and fourteen who were participating in any form social media communication. Using an interpretative phenomenological approach, three main themes were identified: (1) Identity construction and ecological transitions, (2) pressure, resistance and conformity and (3) lack of self-efficacy. The study indicates that mothers ascribe social media adoption to be a significant event in their child’s psychosocial development, and requires a concerted effort from them in order to protect their children from potential risks. Additionally, the findings suggest that mothers experienced pressure to conform to the technology, despite being aware that their child may not be balancing their social media use with other important commitments. The study adds to a growing body of literature on social media’s qualitative impact. It guides future research to investigate parenting strategies and specific aspects of this phenomenon such as identity construction and the impact on academic potentia

Auditory distraction during reading: A Bayesian meta-analysis of a continuing controversy

Everyday reading occurs in different settings, such as on the train to work, in a busy cafeteria, or at home, while listening to music. In these situations, readers are exposed to external auditory stimulation from nearby noise, speech, or music that may distract them from their task and reduce their comprehension. Although many studies have investigated auditory distraction effects during reading, the results have proved to be inconsistent and sometimes even contradictory. Additionally, the broader theoretical implications of the findings have not always been explicitly considered. In the present study, we report a Bayesian meta-analysis of 65 studies on auditory distraction effects during reading and use meta-regression models to test predictions derived from existing theories. The results showed that background noise, speech, and music all have a small, but reliably detrimental effect on reading performance. The degree of disruption in reading comprehension did not generally differ between adults and children. Intelligible speech and lyrical music resulted in the biggest distraction. While this last result is consistent with theories of semantic distraction, there was also reliable distraction by noise. It is argued that new theoretical models are needed that can account for distraction by both background speech and noise

Elektronisk media och dess inverkan på kreativitet

The purpose of this study was to examine how students' creativity is affected by the use of Instant Messenger and electronic media. The hypotheses were that students who use Instant Messenger will underperform on creativity tests, and that there is a negative relationship between high media usage and performance on creativity tests. The study was conducted as an experiment on a total of 50 students aged 19-30. Participants in the experimental condition, and the control condition carried out a Guilford's Alternative Uses Task. This is followed by a form consisting of Media & Technology Usage and Attitudes Scale and the Creative Behavior Inventory. The results showed that students who use Instant Messenger during the experiment, get significantly lower creativity scores. The number of hours the media does not seem to have any significant relationship to creative activities.Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka hur studenters kreativitet påverkas av användandet av Instant messenger och elektronisk media. Hypoteserna var att studenter som använder instant messenger kommer prestera sämre på kreativitetstest och att det finns en negativa relation mellan hög medieanvändning och prestation på kreativitetstest. Studien utfördes som ett experiment på totalt 50 studenter i åldrarna 19-30. Deltagarna har under experimentförhållande, respektive kontroll utfört en Guilford's Alternative Uses Task uppgift. Detta följt av ett formulär bestående av Media & Technology Usage and Attitudes Scale och Creative Behavior Inventory. Resultatet visade på att studenter som använder Instant messenger under experimentet får en signifikant lägre kreativitetspoäng. Antalet timmar spenderat på media verkar dock inte ha något signifikant samband till kreativa aktiviteter

The Roles of Media Multitasking and Technology Use in Selective Attention and Task Switching

A number of studies have explored the impact of multitasking on specific cognitive skills, primarily with regard to non-media multitasking activities. While briefly addressing technology, its use in the modern era regarding media multitasking and its associated cognitive declines has not been extensively examined. Forty-nine participants were required to complete a series of cognitive tasks including the Stroop Color and Word Test and the Trail Making Test. Data were also collected for how often participants media multitask, the amount of technology they use, as well as other demographic variables. The goal of this study was to empirically examine the role of technology use and media multitasking on cognitive processes such as selective attention and task switching. It was hypothesized that those grouped as high media-multitaskers would predict a faster reaction time on the Stroop task, in line with previous literature by Cain & Mitroff (2011). Results showed a significant relationship exhibiting a negative correlation between the two factors, thereby accepting the hypothesis. Findings conclude with considerations for both the use and design of technological interfaces and devices as they apply to a variety of operational settings and high-tech environments

Negativity Bias in Media Multitasking : The Effects of Negative Social Media Messages on Attention to Television News Broadcasts

Peer reviewe

The effectiveness of advertising among media multitaskers: The effects of argument strength and endorser attractiveness

In recent years, the phenomenon of media multitasking—using more than one medium at a time—has grown remarkably. However, we do not know much about how media multitasking affects the public’s responses to advertising. The purpose of this study is to investigate how people respond to endorser attractiveness and argument strength variables in advertising when attending to multiple media simultaneously. In particular, this study examines how people—varying in the extent to which they chronically engage in media multitasking—attend to substantive issues (i.e., argument strength) and peripheral information (i.e., endorser attractiveness) in advertisements when exposed to a media multitasking environment. In this experiment, I first measure the level of media multitasking and then manipulate the quality of argument strength and endorser attractiveness, then measure cognitive, affective, and behavioral responses, along with content comprehension level. The analyses reveal that participants’ level of media multitasking is positively correlated with free recall for product category and the critical brand. In addition, participants with higher media multitasking propensity have better overall and affective attitudes toward the brand following exposure to ads with weak arguments, while participants with lower media multitasking propensity have better overall and affective attitudes following exposure to ads with strong arguments