Digital Distractions, Part 2: How much distraction IS too much?
In our April newsletter, we discussed the issue of “digital distractions” – how, and how well, your student may juggle competing stimuli from television, texting, and theoretical physics all at once.
Experts weighed in on in-class and out-of-class distractions. Parents and students may have very different standards, and problems with schoolwork or concentration may not be due to technological intrusion. Bottom line: it’s not a problem until it is one.
But graduate students Andrea Comiskey and Jonah Horwitz, both PhD candidates in the Department of Communication Arts, disagreed.
“Your article fails to distinguish between different types of activities (educational and otherwise) and how multitasking impacts them,” they wrote. “Not all activities are equally consequential or make the same demands on our limited attentional resources.”
Moreover, Comiskey and Horwitz disagree that multitasking should simply be accepted as an inevitable, benign part of college life.
“This attitude makes things even more difficult for students who wish to learn without harmful distractions around them and instructors who want to foster the best learning environment they can,” they wrote.
Joanne Cantor, professor emerita of communication arts, retired from her teaching post in 2000 to devote more time to consulting on productivity, creativity, and stress reduction.
“All sorts of people sent me your article,” she says.
Cantor doesn’t completely disagree with several points of the April article, such as habituation and the use of social media by professors. But she says it’s important to make a distinction between the kinds of distractions that are easy to integrate (or ignore) and the kinds of distractions that can derail a train of thought – and keep us from getting back on track.
What Cantor terms “cyber overload” has become a cornerstone of her work. In 2009, she published a short book titled Conquer CyberOverload: Get More Done, Boost Your Creativity, and Reduce Stress.
In a nutshell, that subtitle sums up her approach to digital distractions. She’s a realist; she recognizes that digital devices are a huge part of our lives, regardless of generation. But she also hopes to share the advantages of stepping back.
“Being connected is good, but being constantly connected can interfere with things,” says Cantor.
Distractions can tamper with the brain’s “working memory” – the small amount that holds our attention at one time. Working memory doesn’t just encompass the material in front of us at a particular moment; it’s the glue that helps integrate ideas and evaluate things critically. In short, it helps us take what we see and figure out how we’ll use it.
Cantor describes working memory as the “traffic cop” between multiple tasks, regulating one action while trying to hold off another.
“It’s like washing dishes with one hand tied behind your back,” she says. “You could get it done, but it might take a lot longer and you might break a few dishes.”
In one study she cites, one group of college students reading an article got an instant message while attempting to concentrate. Uninterrupted students took an average of 29 minutes to complete the reading; interrupted students took an average of 46 minutes – “with no benefit!” says Cantor.
“What you’re giving up is important,” she says. “When I talk to students, I say, ‘Look: do it however you want. If you think you’re relaxed, and you have plenty of time for leisure and your classes? Keep doing what you’re doing. But if you’re looking for more time and want to do things better: just try it this way.’”
“This way” doesn’t have to mean changing your entire life. Cantor suggests simply starting by taking breaks while working that involve more than just checking Facebook. Anything that gets oxygen to the brain can help refocus: getting up, going out in nature, or something as simple as walking around for a few minutes.
If the temptation to stay connected comes from within, mindfulness is one technique that can help combat the constant barrage of information.
“It’s clear that having the capacity to put things down is very important,” says Bob McGrath, of UW–Madison’s Counseling and Consultation Services. “When people are multitasking, they miss some great enjoyments. When you’re eating, are you really paying attention to that apple? Pay attention to the sensations, the sounds, everything. It’s a nice calming process.”
Though multitasking is the norm, McGrath suggests making mindfulness a personal challenge: for a week, a month, or even simply as part of each day.
“First, make a commitment,” he says. “Have periods during each day when you practice mindfulness. Experiment: there are parts of the day that may be hectic, but find parts of the day when you are focused on the moment.”
McGrath’s approach dovetails neatly with Cantor’s.
“Giving yourself more time to focus doesn’t mean four hours in a row; it could be ten minutes,” says Cantor. “Try focusing for five minutes – five minutes! – and then take a break. If five minutes feels too onerous, just take a break. But see if you can expand that to more time.”
Cantor speaks from personal experience. She may cite study after academic study, but her work is driven by her own attempts to rise above “cyber overload.” To that end, she offers a caveat.
“Whatever applies to kids applies exactly to you, too,” says Cantor, addressing parents. “If parents are constantly interrupting things, don’t expect the advice you give to have any credibility unless you take it to heart yourselves.”
It’s true that today’s students might have more temptations available than in years past. More importantly, though, thinking about these principles could help anyone who feels beholden to incoming data.
“Most adults have the same problems getting things done,” says Cantor. “The generations aren’t that different.”
Given the amount of concentration it took to write these articles, we’d have to agree.
—Susannah Brooks