Cognitive structure, flexibility, and plasticity in human multitasking-An integrative review of dual-task and task-switching research.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review and theoretical synthesis (Level 5 by design analogy)
PubMed 29517261 · doi:10.1037/bul0000144
What was done
The authors conducted a conceptual integrative review synthesizing literature across two multitasking paradigms: concurrent dual-task interference and sequential task switching. The paper organizes existing research into three domains: structural constraints (bottlenecks), cognitive flexibility (control processes), and cognitive plasticity (practice effects).
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical data or quantitative effect sizes. Conceptually, the authors argue that dual-tasking and task-switching share fundamentally similar underlying cognitive mechanisms rather than representing distinct operational paradigms.
Why it matters
This framework unifies historically segregated experimental approaches in cognitive psychology into a common architecture for studying human multitasking limits and training adaptations.
Limits
This is a narrative review with no systematic search methodology, meta-analytic pooling, or study counts reported in the abstract. No primary empirical data or statistical estimates are provided.
Cited by
- supports True multitasking with two cognitively engaged tasks is not possible; the brain instead switches between tasks with an associated cognitive cost.