The downside of multitasking

The New York Times has published yet another article on how bad multitasking is for you.  It includes some tests for attention during multitasking, which I took.  Here's what the article says about the test results:

The multitaskers then did a significantly worse job than the non-multitaskers at recognizing whether read rectangles had changed position.  In other words, they had trouble filtering out the blue ones--the irrelevant information.

So, too, the multitaskers took longer than non-multitaskers to switch among talkss, like differetiating vowels from consonants and then odd from even numbers.  The multitaskers were shown to be less efficient at juggling problems.

I am a little confused about my results, however.  I did extremely well in the focusing task, but very poorly in the juggling task (though I got them all right and required no additional time for switching).  I have always, in some sense, known this about myself, and it's a big part of why I try to avoid getting too busy or socializing in a crowd.  I react slowly when pressured, like a deer in the headlights.

So, does this mean I'm a multitasker or a non-multitasker?  I'm not sure. I think I'm an easily-distracted person who much prefers to be alone and quiet so I can focus on one thing.  I'd be curious as to your results, too, and what you think it means, if anything.  As for me, I'm getting off the computer!

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Update:  I wanted to add another couple of interesting quotes from the article:

Multitaskers tend to search for new information rather than accept a reward for putting older, more valuable information to work.

This reminds me of our obsession with the newest kinds of knowledge, and our relegation of the classics to obscurity through our preference for political correctness.  I'm glad for the new perspectives, but don't want to forget the old, either.  There's so much that's universal in them, if we'd only just see it.

Researchers say these findings point to an interesting dynamic: multitaskers seem more sensitive than non-multitaskers to incoming information.

Is this a circular argument?  Do the multitaskers multitask because they are more sensitive to begin with, or do they become that way because they multitask?  It seems like it could be both. In our family, at least with CZ and me, I suspect that we were born with a propensity for distraction that we work to keep at bay.  Compared to many people we know, we are practically Luddites.  But I discourage new technology for a good reason--I know that it will only make it harder to focus, and the ability to focus is so worth the effort!


Another update:  I think there's something poorly designed about these tests, because everyone who commented on them got the same skewed results that I did.


Also, feel free to point out my typos.  This time they were so egregious that they changed the meaning of my post!