The Acute and Chronic Impact of Technology on our Brain

The influence of technology on academic distraction: A review

“…In contrast, some cognitive psychologists argue that what is happening is called task switching , meaning our cognitive attention rapidly shifts back and forth between simultaneous tasks (Loh & Kanai, 2016). Media multitasking may be described as using two or more forms of electronic media simultaneously, or simply the use of electronic media with other forms of nonmedia (Ziegler, Mishra, & Gazzaley, 2015).…”

Exploring the relationship between executive functions and self-reported media-multitasking in young adults

“…The importance of the role of digital media corresponds with the exponential growth in accessibility and usage of media devices (Baumgartner, Weeda, Van der Heijden & Huizinga, 2014). Individuals simultaneously engage with multiple forms of media within either a single device or by employing multiple devices (Ziegler et al, 2015). Using an experience sampling method, Moreno, Jelenchick, Koff, Eikoff, Diermyer, & Christakis (2012) found that for 190 students "media-multitasking" was the most prevalent way in which media was consumed, with 56.6% of individuals' time on the internet spent multitasking.…”

The self-distracting mind in the digital age: Investigating the influence of a brief mindfulness intervention on mind wandering

“…Specifically, Loh and Kanai (2014) observed that HMMs had smaller gray-matter density in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), which is strongly implicated in top-down attentional control (van Veen & Carter, 2002) and has been shown to be positively affected by mindfulness meditation training (Allan et al, 2012;Hölzel et al, 2007;Tang & Posner, 2013;Treadway & Lazer, 2010). Furthermore, it has also been argued that media multitasking may lead to increased activity in the default mode network (DMN;Ziegler, Mishra, & Gazzaley, 2015), which is implicated in mind wandering (Buckner et al, 2008;Mason et al, 2007). Given the functional connectivity between the ACC and DMN (Buckner et al, 2008), it is plausible that media multitasking may lead to lower levels of mindfulness (lessened activity in the ACC), which in turn results in greater propensity for mind wandering (greater activity in the DMN).…”

“…It has also been shown that mindfulness meditation training positively affects the ACC (Allan et al, 2012;Hölzel et al, 2007;Tang & Posner, 2013;Treadway & Lazer, 2010). Moreover, Ziegler et al (2015) argued that media multitasking may lead to heightened activation in the default mode network (DMN), which is mostly associated with mind wandering (Buckner et al, 2008;Mason et al, 2007). Thus, it is possible that habitual media multitasking may result in lower levels of mindfulness (lessened activity in the ACC), which in turn leads to an increased proclivity for mind wandering (greater activity in the DMN).…”

“…It has been shown that heavy media multitaskers demonstrate an increased susceptibility to interference from task-irrelevant stimuli during demanding cognitive tasks and that they show poor attentional control in the face of interference (Ophier et al, 2009). Furthermore, based on findings from neuroimaging studies, it could be argued that heavy media multitasking may lead to increased activity in the default mode network (DMN;Ziegler et al, 2015), which is associated with mind wandering (Buckner et al, 2008;Mason et al, 2007). Therefore, it was predicted that increased media multitasking frequency would predict greater propensity for mind wandering.…”