The Myth of Multitasking

1. Why is multitasking considered by many psychologists to be a myth?
Multitasking looks like people are doing several activities at the same time. They're not. They're doing them sequentially, switching rapidly between them.
Substantial interference effects occur when you try to use the same channel. For example, if you're on the phone, you may be able to read a note that someone has passed you even while you’re listening to the person on the other end of the line. But you won't be able to fully understand someone who starts talking to you while you’re listening or talking to someone else.
2. To what does the term "response selection bottleneck" refer?
We examined the coordination of processing streams when two reaction stimuli are presented with minimal temporal separation. We tested the hypothesis that individuals that grouped responses to the two stimuli would schedule response preparation later than those not-grouping their responses would. Performance measures were combined with a cardiac measure interpreted as an index of response inhibition.
3. David Meyer has found that multitasking contributes to the release of stress hormones and adrenaline. Why is this important?