Learning to Multitask: Simultaneous Reading and Writing
Classic attentional training study hints at our considerable potential to multitask.
The mind has a remarkable ability to focus attention on just one voice from a chorus (see: the cocktail party effect). But what about spreading our attention across different types of tasks? A classic 1976 study which taught two people to read and write at the same time hints at our considerable potential to multitask.
Professor Elizabeth Spelke and colleagues at Cornell University wanted to know whether we can really divide our conscious attention between two demanding tasks, like reading and writing. To find out they recruited two participants willing to put in 29 hours of practice over a 6 week period: Diane and John were their volunteers (Spelke, Hirst & Neisser, 1976).
Before the training Diane and John's normal reading and comprehension rates were measured, so it could be compared with post-training. Then Spelke and colleagues set about their three-phase training regime.
Phase 1: Simultaneous reading and writing.
The first step was to get Diane and John reading and writing at the same time. To do this they read short stories by authors like Katherine Mansfield at the same time as writing down a list of words being dictated to them. Afterwards the experimenters checked their story comprehension and memory for the list of words. This procedure was continued throughout all three phases of the study.
Naturally when Diane and John first tried to multitask their reading speed, comprehension and memory all deteriorated. But surprisingly, after six weeks, they could read just as fast and with the same level of comprehension whether or not they were also taking dictation at the same time. They also often recognised more than two-thirds of the dictated words.
There is a problem with this study so far though: it's possible that Diane and John weren't really multitasking but had just leant to take dictation automatically and unconsciously. Spelke and colleagues knew they had to push Diane and John harder.
Phase 2: Detecting structured sub-lists
Over the next few weeks Spelke and colleagues tested Diane and John's higher-level awareness of the dictated lists. Instead of dictating relatively unrelated words, patterns were now surreptitiously inserted into the lists, sometimes whole sentences.
Without forewarning Diane and John found these difficult to spot, but once told to search for the patterns they started noticing rhymes, categories of words and even sentences. Although still missing a few, they did spot many of the patterns the experimenters hid in the sub-lists.
Remember that this is all at the same time as reading an unrelated story at their normal speed and level of comprehension. In this second phase the participants' multitasking is even more impressive and it's harder to argue that the dictation has become automatic and unconscious because Diane and John could spot many of the patterns.
Phase 3: Reading while categorising words
In the third and final phase Diane and John were asked to just write down the category to which the words belonged rather than the words themselves. Again, their reading speed initially dropped when they were given this new task, but soon, with practice, it was back up to its original level.
After the 16 weeks of the study it seemed that both Diane and John could categorise lists of words and write down the name of the category at the same time as reading, and understanding, a sophisticated and completely unrelated short story.
Not only that but their reading speed and comprehension of the short story was unaffected compared with their pre-training tests. Quite an impressive feat of attention.
What does this mean?
Not everyone accepts that what Diane and John were doing was really multitasking. Here are some of the objections:
- One of the tasks became automatic and therefore unconscious.
- Similarly, people have complained the tasks weren't hard enough: reading and writing are already highly practised skills.
- Diane and John were learning to switch their attention from one task to the other very quickly, not focus on both at the same time.
- Two people is a very small sample size!
These are all good points, but ultimately there's still an impressive human performance here that requires explanation. Whether or not Diane and John were really multitasking, the research certainly implies that we can train our attention to carry out two sophisticated tasks which require conscious deliberation at the same time.
This is more than just simultaneously talking and driving, or patting the head while rubbing the stomach: both reading and writing involve relatively deep processing of similar types of linguistic information. Spelke and colleagues were clearly very impressed with Diane and John's new abilities and they suggest there may be no limits to training human attention, perhaps even no limits to our general cognitive capacity. All we need is some creativity along with plenty of time and practice.
→ Part 3 of a series on the psychology of attention →
[Image credits: Paul Watson & Paul Watson]
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I am always thankful to get more info on memories. I believe I lost unconscious memories in my thirties due to PTSD. One of the things I stumbled across was that I could drive a car (working memory), but I could not remember to turn. Too much for working memory and no “skill” memories left. There were no triggers to turn down familiar streets. Landmarks were not associated with direction – everything was sorta like a dense forest. And when I did turn, I could not retrace my steps back to where I came. My solution – the kids became my navigator. (Proof that I could indeed drive in that state - no accidents - no tickets.) My ability to navigate has improved to somewhere between 13 and 16 year old level (this is based on activities I undertook as a teen). I am lucky to have unconscious memories let alone multitask.
Kat,
This might interest you. A structure known as the hippocampus in the medial temporal lobe is known to be important in forming new episodic memories (memories about events) and is also important in spatial naviagtion and remembering landmarks.
The hippocampus is also sensitive to stress. Stress hormones are thought to suppress the formation of long term memories and long term stress is thought to cause degeneration of the hippocampal region.
You can read all about this in LeDoux's book The Emotional Brain.
Bronson, thanks I hope the book uses smaller words than you do LOL. I heard a pop in my head when I became consciously aware of my trauma. The pop didn't hurt and it took me a long time to realize something more than is common with PTSD was wrong with me. So far I have not ran across one person who has had a similar experience. The only people who seem to be close in this type of experience are people with traumatic brain injuries. I will check the book out.
I wasn't aware that those two activities could be done at the same time. They don't use the same part of the brain?
Bronson, this is why I think a simple form of learning can be involved in social situations. You are correct attention is not always under conscious control. (I had to read your post over and over again to make an attempt to reply.) I lost 35 years of "skill memories" in an instant. Here is an example of what I was up against. I learned to answer questions in a group setting (I was shy and this was not natural for me). Once I gained a little confidence (due to safe people), I noticed that I embarrassingly blurted out an answer every time a question was asked (not cool in this situation). The solution to raise my hand seemed simple and good. The problem with that – when you’re trying to climb Everest everybody has their opinion about what trail you should take. I also needed to learn to flush the toilet, brush my teeth, go shopping, work, be a wife, and take care of the kids. Basically I couldn’t learn a million things at once. I had to make choices to learn things necessary for a 35 year old mother of 2.
You are correct attention is sometimes learned.
Did you learn to ride a bike by listening to somebody or by the trail and error of using your legs? What sensory did you use?
PS I got the book. Thanks
If you have ever been to college you have done this everyday. Reading the overhead slides and writing them down while simultaneously integrating the teachers dictation into the notes.