Does multitasking change how we think? The impact of specialized depletion from concurrent task performance on subsequent behavior

Abstract

AbstractDespite the ubiquity of multitasking, prior research has ignored potential carryover effects of concurrent task performance on the way individuals interpret subsequent consumption behaviors and decisions. This study evinces that extensive use of updating, an executive function central to multitasking and necessary for construing actions abstractly, reduces the likelihood that it will be used on subsequent tasks. Accordingly, the results of three studies show that extensive employment of updating (via multitasking) reduces an individual's propensity to construe behaviors (consumption or otherwise) in abstract (vs. concrete) terms, influencing consumer choices. Specifically, we show that individuals are less likely to choose healthy food items (i.e., those consistent with long‐term health goals) and favor feasibility over desirability following episodes of multitasking. Further, we rule out general cognitive depletion and mood as alternative explanations for such carryover effects.