Not only does this support the theory that women are better at multi-tasking than men, it also proves productivity slows dramatically when someone attempts to do two things at once. The scientists took the research further and had participants switch between different "real-world" tasks. In solving math problems and searching for restaurants on a map, women and men showed similar results. However, women began to show better multi-tasking abilities when the tasks included devising a strategy for finding a lost key. This, said the researchers, may suggest women are better at tasks requiring cognitive control.
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Nov
women multitasking
For years, studies have attempted to capture proof of the theory that women are better at multi-tasking than men. A 2011 study found women engage in multi-tasking more often than men. But other attempts at proving which gender is better have been inconclusive. Recent studies have even concluded that when someone multi-tasks, the quality of each task is actually reduced.
The latest study that attempts to resolve this war of the sexes was conducted by British researchers. Psychologists at three separate universities studied 120 members of each gender as they played a video game. While performing two tasks individually, men and female clocked similar times and levels of accuracy. However, when researchers had the groups perform the tasks simultaneously, women displayed better accuracy and a quicker response time. Female participants saw their speed decline by only 61 percent while male participants were 77 percent slower.
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Stephanie Faris
Stephanie is a freelance writer and novelist whose work has appeared on NYPost.com, PSMag.com, the Intuit Small Business Blog, and many others. She is the Simon & Schuster author of 8 children's books, including the Piper Morgan chapter book series, 25 Roses, and 30 Days of No Gossip.
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