Multitasking Ability Between Males and Females

In this study, the ability to multitask was tested and compared between males and females. The purpose of this experiment was to verify or disprove if women are superior at multitasking, as is commonly believed. Multitasking is prevalent in society today, primarily in occupations such as emergency responders, supervision and coordination, piloting, business roles, and various other careers. However, these positions are filled overwhelmingly by males. If females proved to be more efficient in meeting the demands of these jobs, this research may encourage females to pursue these aforementioned careers, as they would be successful.

To gauge an individual’s ability to multitask, a task simulator consisting of six puzzles was first constructed. Additionally, a paragraph simulating a police officer on a patrol call was recorded. This was designed based on quotes from police officers detailing the difficulties of driving and listening to the intercom simultaneously. By combining these aspects, a test was created to quantify the ability to multitask in an individual. The participant would attempt to complete as many tasks as they could while the paragraph played. Once the paragraph ended, the participant was asked to recall as many key points as possible. A total of 96 trials were conducted on students from three different high schools, and the scores of males and females were analyzed using a two-sample t-test. The hypothesis was accepted, females performed better than males.

Research Conducted By:

Dylan Clark
Center Line High School

Imran Rashid
South Lake High School

 

 

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