Effect of Multitasking on Stereopsis and Reaction Time in High School Students Abstract
Effect of Multitasking on Stereopsis and Reaction Time in High School Students
Keywords:
Multitasking, Stereopsis, Reaction Time, Cognitive Load, Psychomotor Performance, Hand-Eye Coordination, High School StudentsAbstract
This study aims to examine the effects of multitasking on stereopsis (depth perception) and reaction time among high school students. A total of 262 adolescents (131 males, 131 females), aged between 14 and 18 years, participated in the research. Stereopsis levels were assessed using the Stereo Fly Test, while reaction times were measured via the BlazePod™ system. Each participant was tested under both single-task (monotasking) and dual-task (multitasking) conditions. In the multitasking condition, participants were required to perform simultaneous cognitive (e.g., serial counting) and motor (reaction-based) tasks.
Statistical analyses revealed that multitasking led to a significant deterioration in stereopsis performance (Wilcoxon test, p < .001) and a marked increase in reaction time (paired t-test, p < .001). Effect sizes for both variables were large (Cohen’s d > 1.75), indicating a substantial negative impact of multitasking on both perceptual and psychomotor performance. These findings are consistent with Kahneman’s (1973) capacity model of attention, supporting the notion that limited cognitive resources, when divided across concurrent tasks, result in decreased task efficiency and performance.
In conclusion, multitasking appears to adversely affect both perceptual and motor functions in adolescents. The results highlight the importance of considering cognitive load and task structure in educational and athletic contexts, particularly in environments where attentional demands are high.
Downloads
References
Ager, A. L., Cools, A. M., Borms, D., & Roy, J. S. (2024). How does a motor or cognitive dual-task affect our sense of upper limb proprioception?. Plos one, 19(3), e0299856.
Al-Yahya, E., Dawes, H., Smith, L., Dennis, A., Howells, K., & Cockburn, J. (2011). Cognitive motor interference while walking: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 35(3), 715-728.
Anguera, J. A., Boccanfuso, J., Rintoul, J. L., Al-Hashimi, O., Faraji, F., Janowich, J., ... & Gazzaley, A. (2013). Video game training enhances cognitive control in older adults. Nature, 501(7465), 97-101.
Arguz, A., Bayraktar, Y., Aslan, A. K., Kocaoğlu, Y., & Erkmen, N. (2023). The effect of warming on visual response time in dominant and non-dominant lower and upper extremities. Turkish Journal of Sport and Exercise, 25(3), 348-356.
Aslan, A. K., Cicioğlu, H. İ., Kocaoğlu, Y., & Erkmen, N. (2023). 11-14 Yaş Grubu Çocuklarda Müzik Türü ile El-Göz Tepki Sürelerinin İlişkisi. Ulusal Kinesyoloji Dergisi, 4(1), 38-46.
Aslan, A. K., Erkmen, N., Cicioğlu, H. İ., & Kocagöz, A. (2024). Relationship of hand-eye reaction time with stereopsis in 15-19-year-old adolescents. Advances in Health and Exercise, 4(2), 94-99.
Bucsuházy, K., & Semela, M. (2017). Case study: Reaction time of children according to age. Procedia Engineering, 187, 408-413.
Corp, D. T., Lum, J. A., Tooley, G. A., & Pearce, A. J. (2014). Corticospinal activity during dual tasking: A systematic review and meta-analysis of TMS literature from 1995 to 2013. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 43, 74-87.
Dykiert, D., Der, G., Starr, J. M., & Deary, I. J. (2012). Sex differences in reaction time mean and intraindividual variability across the life span. Developmental psychology, 48(5), 1262.
Fuhrmann, D., Knoll, L. J., & Blakemore, S. J. (2015). Adolescence as a sensitive period of brain development. Trends in cognitive sciences, 19(10), 558-566.
Gazzaley, A., Stuss, D. T., & Knight, R. T. (2013). Principles of frontal lobe function.
Hasan, M. K. (2024). Digital multitasking and hyperactivity: unveiling the hidden costs to brain health. Annals of Medicine and Surgery, 86(11), 6371-6373.
Jiang, L., Kasahara, S., Ishida, T., Wei, Y., Chiba, A., Samukawa, M., & Tohyama, H. (2023). Dual-task interference slows down proprioception. Motor control, 27(3), 465-479.
Johannsen, L., Kiesel, A., Koch, I., & Müller, H. (2022). Interference between cognition and motor control in human multitasking: An editorial. Acta Psychologica, 230, 103692-103692.
Johnson, E. O., Babis, G. C., Soultanis, K. C., & Soucacos, P. N. (2008). Functional neuroanatomy of proprioception. Journal of surgical orthopaedic advances, 17(3), 159-164.
Kahneman, D. (1973). Attention and effort. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Kiesel, A., Johannsen, L., Koch, I., & Müller, H. (Eds.). (2022). Handbook of human multitasking. Springer Nature.
Kim, C., Cilles, S. E., Johnson, N. F., & Gold, B. T. (2012). Domain general and domain preferential brain regions associated with different types of task switching: A meta‐analysis. Human brain mapping, 33(1), 130-142.
Langsdorf, L. E., Kübler, S., & Schubert, T. (2022). Investigation of reward effects in overlapping dual-task situations. Acta Psychologica, 222, 103465.
Löhr-Limpens, M., Göhringer, F., & Schenk, T. (2022). Dual-task interference in action programming and action planning—Evidence from the end-state comfort effect. Acta Psychologica, 228, 103637.
Madore, K. P., & Wagner, A. D. (2019). Multicosts of Multitasking. Cerebrum : the Dana forum on brain science, 2019, cer-04-19.
McBeath, M. K., Tang, T. Y., & Shaffer, D. M. (2018). The geometry of consciousness. Consciousness and cognition, 64, 207-215.
O'connor, A. R., & Tidbury, L. P. (2018). Stereopsis: are we assessing it in enough depth?. Clinical and Experimental Optometry, 101(4), 485-494.
Ophir, E., Nass, C., & Wagner, A. D. (2009). Cognitive control in media multitaskers. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106(37), 15583-15587.
Patel, B., & Rathi, P. (2019). Effect of 4 week exercise program on visual reaction time. Int J Phys Educ Sport Heal, 6(4), 143-147
Poldrack, R. A., & Yarkoni, T. (2016). From brain maps to cognitive ontologies: informatics and the search for mental structure. Annual review of psychology, 67(1), 587-612.
Rothbart, M. K., & Posner, M. I. (2015). The developing brain in a multitasking world. Developmental Review, 35, 42-63.
Rothbart, M. K., & Posner, M. I. (2015). The developing brain in a multitasking world. Developmental Review, 35, 42-63.
Rubinstein, J. S., Meyer, D. E., & Evans, J. E. (2001). Executive control of cognitive processes in task switching. Journal of experimental psychology: human perception and performance, 27(4), 763.
Sanbonmatsu, D. M., Strayer, D. L., Medeiros-Ward, N., & Watson, J. M. (2013). Who multi-tasks and why? Multi-tasking ability, perceived multi-tasking ability, impulsivity, and sensation seeking. PloS one, 8(1), e54402.
Sharma, P. (2018). The pursuit of stereopsis. Journal of American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, 22(1), 2-e1.
Van Humbeeck, N., Van Wilderode, M., Kliegl, R., van Wieringen, A., & Krampe, R. T. (2024). Multitasking across the lifespan in different task contexts. Scientific Reports, 14(1), 11817.
Wilmer, H. H., Sherman, L. E., & Chein, J. M. (2017). Smartphones and cognition: A review of research exploring the links between mobile technology habits and cognitive functioning. Frontiers in psychology, 8, 605.
Żak, M., Mikrut, G., & Sobota, G. (2023). Measurement of Simple Reaction Time of the Cyclist in the Laboratory and Natural Environment Condition. Sensors (Basel, Switzerland), 23(8), 3898. https://doi.org/10.3390/s23083898
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Ahmet Kaan Aslan- Nurtekin Erkmen- Betül Seher Uysal- Özge Karabeyeser
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
