Neuroticism negatively affects multitasking performance through state anxiety

Abstract

A -Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.Multitasking is on the rise, both at work and at home. As such, researchers have begun to focus attention on understanding and predicting multitasking performance. Though past research has demonstrated that cognitive predictors correlate positively with multitasking performance, there is reason to believe that non-cognitive factors are likely to predict such performance as well. This study tested for relationships between extraversion, neuroticism, Type A Behavior Pattern, polychronicity, and multitasking performance. Results supported the hypothesis that neuroticism, but not the other personality characteristics measured, significantly predicts performance at multitasking, and that this relationship is mediated by state anxiety experienced during multitasking. Implications for the impact of personality and anxiety on multitasking performance are ForewordThough selection and classification in the U.S. Navy has traditionally been driven by the recruitment interview and scores from the ASVAB, important facets of performance within Navy jobs may be better understood and predicted by a broader range of predictors. Whole Person Assessment (WPA) is an effort on the part of Navy Personnel Research, Studies, and Technology (NPRST/BUPERS-1) to improve the selection and classification of Sailors within the U.S. Navy by developing tools to assess a broader range of characteristics in order to reflect this reality.Within this context, this study discusses a particular facet of Sailor performance that may not be predicted well by traditional selection instruments, yet is on the rise due to the increasing complexity of the work environment: multitasking. Multitasking is characterized by the switching of attention between multiple tasks rather than the completion of a single task at a time. Though past research has established that cognitive ability is related to multitasking, the present study sought to investigate whether non-cognitive (e.g., personality) characteristics were related to performance in a multitasking simulation.This study investigated multitasking performance in a sample of university students who engaged in a computerized multitasking simulation. Results of this study indicated that neuroticism, a personality characteristic associated with the enduring tendency to experience negative emotional states, was negatively associated with performance at multitasking. Further, results indicated that this relationship was mediated by state anxiety experienced during the multitasking simulation. As state anxiety increased, multitasking performance decreased. These findings indicate that neuroticism may be a useful predictor of performance at multitasking because of its relationship with anxiety experienced during multitasking. Though preliminary in nature, these results may also provide some evidence for the utility of non-cognitive predictors of multitasking performance. This study is a product of the overarching SYRUS project, which has generated a series of...

Doing It All: An Exploratory Study of Predictors of Media Multitasking

“…Variables that have previously been found to predict multitasking behavior in college students include technology innovativeness and use of social networking sites (Zhong, Hardin, and Sun 2011), neuroticism (Poposki, Oswald, and Chen 2009;Wang and Tchernev 2012), and attentional impulsiveness and sensation seeking (Sanbonmatsu et al 2013). One study that had a nonstudent (14-16 years old) sample also found sensation seeking was a predictor of media multitasking, as was gender (Jeong and Fishbein 2007).…”

Time Orientation in Organizations: Polychronicity and Multitasking

“…Not only is neuroticism a predictor of job performance across a variety of occupations (Barrick et al, 2001), neuroticism has also been found to be negatively related to multitasking performance Poposki et al, 2009b;Szymura & Necka, 1998). Highly neurotic individuals are more likely to experience more stress and anxiety that hinders performance in an environment requiring performance on multiple tasks simultaneously, the need for frequent switching of attention, and the presence of time pressures .…”

“…Highly neurotic individuals are more likely to experience more stress and anxiety that hinders performance in an environment requiring performance on multiple tasks simultaneously, the need for frequent switching of attention, and the presence of time pressures . Later research identified differences in anxiety levels elicited by multitasking simulations as a possible reason for this difference, as anxiety partially mediates the relationship between neuroticism and multitasking ability (Poposki et al, 2009b). More specifically, Oswald and colleagues tested multitasking performance in both "routine" and simulated "emergency" settings.…”

“…The Big Five factors include Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability (or the reverseNeuroticism), Extraversion and Openness to Experience. Recent research has called for further investigation of the relationships between multitasking ability and non-cognitive variables (Poposki et al, 2009b). In fact, researchers have argued that when new constructs such as multitasking ability and emotional intelligence are proposed for use in organizational assessment, the correlates of the new construct with these traditional predictors (cognitive ability, Big Five factors of personality) be examined (cf.…”

“…Recent research has called for further investigation of the relationships between multitasking ability and non-cognitive variables (Poposki, Oswald & Chen, 2009b), and study three answers this call by examining the relationships between multitasking ability and the Big Five, as well as cognitive ability. Study three also aims to examine the usefulness of multitasking assessments in the prediction of job performance in an organizational sample.…”