By Hyon O'Brien
One of our weekly rituals is watching KBS-TV's Monday night program Urimal Gyeorugi (Korean Language Competition). We try not to make any plans with friends so that we can enjoy this linguistic quiz show in which the contestants compete to become a ``Korean Language Master'' with their knowledge of Korean vocabulary, phrases and proverbs.
It is a wonderful show in which we are challenged at times with words we never heard of.
However, each time we watch, my husband rebukes me: ``Can't you possibly just watch the show?'' This scolding comes because I always do something else other than watching TV. This multitasking is one of my weaknesses. Somehow I have this Puritanical notion that I cannot sit idly watching TV and not be productive. So I darn socks, pay bills, crochet dishwashing rags or write a letter or whatever needs attention.
My web search showed Small Business Encyclopedia's definition of multitasking as follows: ``It refers to the ability of an individual or machine to perform more than one task, or multiple tasks, at the same time.'' In the field of human resources, multitasking is a popular term that is often used to describe how busy professionals are able to accomplish a growing amount of work in a limited time period.
The term began to be in general use in the late 1990s with the increasing move to a 24/7 work and services culture experienced in the United States. It has grown to define people in their roles as employees, parents, family members and any number of other roles they perform simultaneously as they try to balance business and pleasure in a limited amount of time.
Demanding more from machines is another part of the multitasking trend. Computers can now commonly perform or execute several programs at the same time. Multiprocessing in computer arena implies that more than one central processing unit (CPU) is involved.
In another example of multitasking machines, people expect even gasoline pumps do multitasking in addition to dispensing gasoline. New gas pumps are giving travel directions, current weather reports and stock quotes via an Internet link.
Some pumps even let customers order food from neighborhood restaurants. Given the technologically complex and competitively intense environment in today's business world, this trend of multitasking is expected to continue, for both individuals and machines.
A 2006 report funded by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration with the goal of improving transportation safety and saving lives clearly tells us that multitasking and driving do not mix.
For one year, the study followed 100 cars with their 241 drivers that totaled two million vehicle miles with hi-tech video-enhanced electronic data recorders installed in each car. The result is stunning. It recorded 82 total crashes and collisions, 761 near crashes (defined as a rapid, severe evasive maneuver to avoid a crash) and 8,295 incidents (defined as an evasive maneuver of less magnitude than a near crash).
In its analysis of all driver behavior in the study, driver error was found to be a contributing factor in more than 90 percent of the accidents. The top reason for accidents was driver fatigue, and the second was distraction. Distraction caused by multitasking!
Secondary task distraction included dialing a handheld device, talking on the phone, reading, eating sandwiches, applying make-up, etc. This was tragically demonstrated recently in September L.A. train crash that killed 25 and injured 135 people. The newspaper report seems to indicate that the commuter train engineer might have been text-messaging (multitasking) moments before the crash and missed a stop signal light.
Another study done by professors at the University of Michigan and researchers at the Federal Aviation reported in 2001 August issue of the Journal of Experimental Psychology confirms the negative effect of multitasking. According to their report, for each task we humans perform we go through the process of perceiving, thinking and acting: Our brain's cognitive control area establishes priorities and allocates specific mental resources to perform the task at hand.
The researchers studied patterns involving task shifting to determine whether multitasking is more efficient than doing one task at a time. The team worked to observe the time lost in task shifting.
The findings are discouraging for multitaskers, although perhaps not too surprising: When tasks are repeatedly shifted from one to another, the time loss for humans to gearshift was huge. Especially if the second task was more complex and unfamiliar than the previous one. In other words, it was more productive to stick to one task and complete it rather than doing two tasks simultaneously.
Once in a blue moon, yours truly is capable of showing some wisdom: I can recall two such occasions where I exhibited this rarity. I actually spent 90 minutes doing one thing without secondary activity: I gazed at the ruins of Machu Picchu, a UNESCO designated world heritage site in Peru, without doing anything else.
Same thing happened in Lhasa, Tibet: My friend and I intentionally sat and gazed at the Potala Palace for the same length of time. The sheer majesty of these two awesome sights brought all other actions to a halt. I can see in my mind's eye those two scenes at any given time. In the long run, that was more efficient than multitasking.
From now on I intend to examine my habit of multitasking and catch myself before I become a slave of that not too efficient notion. I also ask all my readers not to be tempted to do multitasking especially when they drive. It is safer that way. Consider this a public service announcement from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Hyon O'Brien, a former reference librarian in the U.S., has returned to Korea after 32 years of living abroad. She can be reached at hyonobrien@gmail.com.