What Are The Long Term Effects For A Generation Of Multitaskers?
from the complexity-is-too-time-consuming dept
It seems that there have been any number of news articles recently trying to stir up lots of worries over technologies kids use today -- such as MySpace, instant messaging/SMS text messaging and other such tools. For the most part, these articles often seem overblown, in the same way that people fretted about what rock music was doing to kids a few decades ago. While there is some of that in this week's Time cover story, the article does raise a few interesting questions about the long term effects of constant multitasking. It's been repeated so many times by now, that many simply take it as a fact that today's kids are able to multitask constantly -- watching TV while they IM, surf the web, upload photos and maybe (if there's time) do a bit of their homework. While it may be true that many do this, it doesn't necessarily mean that they're really better at multitasking. They've just gotten used to it. Recent studies suggest that while they may not get overwhelmed like their elders, there are downsides. They don't do a much better job of processing information and may have a lot more trouble processing complex information. Obviously, it would be good if there were a lot more research to back these findings up (and, no doubt, plenty of it is on the way). So far, though, while being better at multi-tasking certainly is likely to have some advantages, the research suggests it comes with a very real cost.
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kids....
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gosh
Uff!! these kids!!
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Work
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Actually, it makes for a more balanced society
Its a good thing.
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More flexibility and brain powered
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Re: Work
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Err, TV
Slow news day at Time, I think.
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Re: Re: Work
review of past hour
-laserz!!! 0_o
-click*
-$3,500 OMGWTFBBQ
-looks up a 8 watt laz0r*
-omg $25,000 BBQZZZ
-adds to bookmark*
-sees other bookmarks*
-clicks*
-try's to get game to work right*
-fails*
-closes tabs*
-find this page again 0_O
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I have much anecdotal evidence of this. We hire many people just out of school (I'm not THAT much older...but figure late thirties vs early twenties) and I find that almost all of them have ZERO analytical skills and zero intuition about the work they are meant to do.
Here's a real life example from back when I was taking my introduction to programming class years ago...it applies to what I'm seeing every day:
In class:
We were taught to add numeric values in variables together.
We were taught to substract, multiply and divide them
We were taught to display the variables
We were taught to request user input to assign values to variables.
Simple no? It was a small class module...
Now the test for that module, 1 question:
Write a calculator program.
Out of 35 people in the course, 28 failed. After class they whined and screamed the EXACT SAME THING:
"BUT WE WEREN'T TAUGHT HOW TO PROGRAM A CALCULATOR! ITS SOOOO UNFAIR!"
----
I'm running into this daily at work. I can teach A, B and C to a new trainee, but any situation that requires D (which is a simple combination of A,B and C) they are completely unable to deal with.
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Multi-tasking good, lack of rest/patience bad...
A downside is that the majority of people I know don't get enough sleep. They generally don't have enough time for their body to regenerate, and they don't take into account that body burnout is a bad thing.
Concentration: I have an overly-active mind, so I can relate to the desire or need to do lots of different things. However, our multi-tasking world does not make for teaching patience or the ability to stick to a task that takes a while to get done.
Ultimately, a person who is satisfied with their life must have some level of patience and the ability to sustain concentration. This, I think, is the greatest shortcoming of our on-demand, instant-on world.
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Multi-tasking good, lack of rest/patience bad...
A downside is that the majority of people I know don't get enough sleep. They generally don't have enough time for their body to regenerate, and they don't take into account that body burnout is a bad thing.
Concentration: I have an overly-active mind, so I can relate to the desire or need to do lots of different things. However, our multi-tasking world does not make for teaching patience or the ability to stick to a task that takes a while to get done.
Ultimately, a person who is satisfied with their life must have some level of patience and the ability to sustain concentration. This, I think, is the greatest shortcoming of our on-demand, instant-on world.
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I thought about it...
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Re:
-Soap box time expired.....please insert 25 cents for another 5 minutes......
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Re: Work
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Re: Actually, it makes for a more balanced society
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i think that
then when the mass of dead people gets to be unbearable - they too will kill themselves in order to seek relief from all the death... then the world will be at peace again.
g'night.
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Work
@thecaptain & TheDirector
Im 20 years old, taking courses in computer programming finishing up in Sept for associate... I may be young, but from what ive read Ive got a lot better analytical skills then the kids your hiring, it might take me a bit of time, but by gosh it gets done! Ill replace them ;-D (No Certs either... yet)
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"Techno Stress"
I for one can not, or find it hard to focus on one task at a time just because I'm so used to multi tasking. If I'm working on just one task, it feels like I'm slacking and I feel I should be working on a bunch of things at the same time.
Lately, I've actually been trying to just focus on one task and not get carried away. So as it's really easy to learn to multi task (especially for this generation) it's difficult to scale back and learn to work and focus on one task only.
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What?!
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Multi-tasking is and has been a way of life
We are born with an ability to handle more than one task at a time...anyone with children should agree. Multi-tasking is a good thing, as long as people can decide to give their full attention to situations that need it.
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it's not always the kids
I'm a 17 year old in high school, and I know exactly what you mean. I'm currently in AP Calculus AB and just finished learning about finding volume between two points of a function, including whether or not it's solid or hollow in the middle. Before this, my class was taught integrands, sigma notation, etc., but when it came to figuring out the radii or the hollow shape and the solid, they went bonkers.
Most of my classmates argued that the teacher didn't teach us well enough how to do it, which is quite true. But those same people never bothered to read the book when they needed help. Moreover, they still process information as the following:
if A + B = C,
andA=3
and B=3
then C = 6.
Logic to them is simple inputs of numerical values.
I am embarassed by them because I'm one of the few teenagers who looks outside of the box. The test we took for Calculus was something I wasn't prepared for -- I failed to complete two homework assignments and didn't study. I, however, learned on the spot how to figure the problems out. There was nothing complicated about it.
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Thats funny, most people I know of the MySpace generation can't handle simple mathematical problems. what do you consider "complex information"?
Don't expect too much out of these people.
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Re : it's not always the kids
I never thought they did.. I guess I am getting older..
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Re: I thought about it...
I find that one thing that the younger generation is NOT taught is how to make routines-- how to organized their life so that the simple things (getting dressed, picking up after yourself) fall into place everyday so you can focus on the important things (homework or someday a job). When we give my daughter a routine, she shines. Without it, we are all lonely planets off on our own orbits.
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Why
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lazy 20-somethings
I don't think it's the available media that make us this way. Where are the strong parental influences in giving kids a foundation in these skills that make them well-rounded individuals? Where's the sense of responsibility? It starts with giving kids attention, caring about their education, and unfortunately, it seems that as the generations move on, parents are less and less involved with their children.
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Kids^wAdolescents these days
My Calc III prof once said he was amazed by the student's abilities to recall specific problems from the homework, and their inability to adjust for differences from the homework for a test. However, I never really did the homework and instead chose to focus my attention on the lecture, so I didn't have to worry about recalling the previous problem's structure since I had true comprehension of the material. It was the same with my programming and engineering courses.
The problem is that not everyone is capable of being a programmer or an engineer. I'm hyperanalytical, so I'm well-tuned to this type of work. However, they make weed out courses to they can separate those who don't stand a chance from those who do. The problem is that profs don't want to fail students, so they give them a false approval by barely passing them with a C.
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Re: Kids^wAdolescents these days
I'm glad to see in all the responses that I'm not alone in what I've observed, but I wanted to respond to this quote.
Yes, I'm a systems analyst and I was referring mostly to an IT environment, but make no mistake, this has NOTHING to do with someone being capable of being a programmer or not. Many of the tasks I'm talking about aren't about programming...they simply require a little thought and the ability to put 2 and 2 together.
Heck, our best employee to date was someone I took a chance on, an older guy (my age) who has NO programming experience but has a good head on his shoulders. He has general computing experience but none programming (as opposed to the people we usually hire, who are graduates in Computer Science and such). Since we have some pretty esoteric setups, even graduates need to learn it from scratch so as I said, I took a chance.
Well in 6 months, he can administer and troubleshoot our systems better than 2 younger people who have been with us for FOUR YEARS!
I've noticed one thing different...when I teach him something, he watches what I'm doing and asks question...when one of the other guys or girls do it...first thing they do is pull out a notepad, and write down everything I do....when something happens (and it frequently does) that doesn't fit into that step by step itinerary they wrote down...they freeze and shut off and call me...whereas this guy...took the trouble to understand what I was doing..and can think outside the box.
I don't know if its because of school, or media or whatever, I think most younger people I run into today aren't lazy but sadly cannot think. They think they can, but they have EXTREMELY little analytical skills...its such a relief when I DO meet some who DO have them...gives me hope.
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Re: Re: Kids^wAdolescents these days
Take me for example, I was taught C++ in school (1998 grad). I HAVE NEVER written a piece of C++ code in my professional life. On the surface, you would think that I wasted 4 years of time and money in college. But I didnt. My job required my to go learn Java, PHP, Rexx, etc and based on the FOUNDATION I got in school, I was able to master the skills I need.
And I disagree with the person that implied that single-tasking is scaled back. I'm a darn good developer and whether I'm doing 1 or 3 complex tasks, my mind is still giving 200% to get the job done on time and with high quality. Noting scaled back with my 60 hour weeks.
Above the whole multi-tasking issue, I think is the issue of a good work ethic and even further a good life ethic. For example 2 employees I know started working for $40k. Six years later one is at $61k while the other is at $82k. They could both multi-task equally the same...the difference was how well they applied what they had learned and how responsible they were (as perceived by the person giving the raises).
Overall, I think today's kids have the best opportunity I've ever seen in a generation. I'm truly happy for them. Let's help them realize this. Damn, saying that makes me feel old (and I'm only 28). lol.
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People conform to this method, because teachers are obviously omniscient . The working world tends to interview people with credentials, it's a habit of our prerequisite based society. If a hundred people apply for a job, the first ones that are interviewed will be the people with credentials. If there's time, or you haven't filled the spot yet, then the rest will be interviewed.
Society is creating a breed of human computers, capable of solving something only if there's explicit instructions on how to do so. The fact that you HAVE to go to college, or have a piece of paper saying you're capable of doing what you say is forcing the people with enough common sense to figure things out to waste their gift unless they have enough money to get the said paper.
In my opinion it's ridiculous.
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Attention Deficit Disorder -- Deficit, meaning "Inadequacy or insufficiency." How could someone have the "ability to hyper focus" and have "Attention Deficit" at the same time? Maybe I just dont understand ADD.
"I think I have a bit of the ADD myself (my daughter has just been diagnosed"
Be careful that you dont misinterpret your personality traits as a disorder. There's extreme debate over whether or not ADD is a disorder, or if it even exists at all.
Shooting riddlin pills down your throat just so you can control your attention (ie, to od better in school) is nothing more than drug abuse (and not even an enjoyable one!).
Kid + riddlin = better in academics.
Kid + steroids = better in sports. I see no difference.
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Re:
Common Sense is what tells us the world is flat.
I'm not sure where I heard that, but it proves a point.
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Makes sense
IF that's true, it would make sense.
Information overload is caused by the brain trying to process information (rather than by just being exposed to lots of information). Shutting down in the face of an information stream that is too complex would be a logical defense mechanism to develop in response to regularly being confronted by more information than you can handle. Somebody who grew up doing this as a matter of course would be less able to handle complex information.
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this topic
That's it for me,
Thanks
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Multi-tasking
The big difference, IMHO, isn't the ability to multi-task but rather comfortableness with certain tasks.
Most kids today grew up with computers, more or less. There's an inherent familiarity with them, its well learned and ingrained, and just doesn't take that much (cognitively speaking) for them to use. For someone who's less familiar, it takes more concentration, so they can't multi-task when these are one of the elements nearly as well.
Case in point:
Most kids IM and watch TV at the same time.
Most adults need their full concentration to IM. They're not comfortable flipping between windows, typing without looking, the various screen messages that might appear, etc. That's the difference.
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Parents, just sit back and relax. Don't take any responsibility or blame. It is clearly the responsibility of the GOVERNMENT to protect your children and to establish proper guidelines for them.
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I also agree that the concept of something is more important, and often lost in multi-tasking. In learning languages I know that it is especially important (whether programming or foreign language). In some things however, it is not as important. But while I'm doing something just to get it done, and not thinking about it at all because I'm instead thinking about what somebody just said to me and the TV show I'm watching....I do not get the concept at all. I'm learning pretty much nothing from it.
I also go for instant gratification over long-term. 99 percent of the time I'm happy.
But what the difference is between me and alot of people my age (18) is I know when to focus on one thing specifically. I can turn off the TV, sign off AIM and pay attention when I need to. And I know when to do that.
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Multi-Tasking - NO, Multi-Talented - YES!
I say all that to say this: In all my experience with staffing, one of the major things I hate and discourge is multi-tasking.
I tell all my employees that if they are good at "multi-tasking" (a catch phrase on resumes for the past 10 years), they need to turn it into "multi-talented".
Why you ask?
Simple. Multi-taskers do many things quickly, but at the expense of quality. Multi-talented workers do high quality work (right the first time) over a longer period of time. I have found that it is easier to teach multi-talented people to become more time efficient than it is to teach multi-taskers how to do things better.
Multi-talented people are able to focus on the task at hand, ignore distractions, and produce quality. In fact, it would be better to called it multi-skilled since "talent" has more to do with apptitudes and skill is more education and practice.
I do not agree with the fad of "anti-technology" that seems to permiate the multi-tasking publicity. I am one of the many that are "tech junkies". However, I belive more effort should be spent on teaching the up-and-comers the difference between personal tasks and professional/eduational tasks. Multi-tasking is fine when you are IMing, TMing, iPoding, and vid gaming, but when it comes time for homework, research, employment, etc, multi-skilled needs to kick in.
Its amazing to me how "jack of all trades" has become synonymous with a multi-tasker that does a lot of things with average quality. Why can't it mean someone who is multi-skilled and can do many things better than most? Let's all stop encouraging this lazy behaviour/mentality and be a part of the revolution! The human mind can take it, I promise. Focus, focus, focus; learn, learn, learn, then practice, practice, practice!
You to can be a multi-skilled person when it matters, and a multi-tasker when it doesn't!
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You may have 20 things going on but you can only deal with one at a time.
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To multitask or not to multitask...
I've hired(and fired) web developers ranging from 17 to 50+ years old. From taking on interns to doubling the size of the department a couple of times. I've found truth to be truth, across the board. There are lazy, paycheck players in every generation and in every field. What makes a person valuable are the loyalty they show the company, the propensity they have for truly learning new things, and the ability to apply those textbook/onscreen skills in a real life atmosphere.
It would be wonderful to know which of the employees that come to me for interviews are actually blowing smoke and which ones have the ability to do the job well. Unfortunately for business-owners and managers, the only true test of an employee is to hire them and give them a shot. They will generally prove themselves or not during the first decent-sized project they're asked to handle on their own.
I walked into my first job in IT, starting as less than a peon, and soon became head of a new department. My work ethic on the job and the knowledge I'd gleaned from my courses in college, more than the almost completed degree (paper), got me my job. To this day, my degree is the only credential I have, aside from almost 6 years of web development/management experience with a single company and a string of websites built in my "spare time".
Desirable traits exist in people of all ages, I guess, as do undesirable ones.
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hyperfocusing
You don't. http://www.sdc.org/~pwolf/addpost.html or http://borntoexplore.org/addtg.htm
Most people with ADD don't have a problem with giving things attention. They just don't want to give attention to what who ever is in charge wants them to attend to.
"I think I have a bit of the ADD myself (my daughter has just been diagnosed"
Be careful that you dont misinterpret your personality traits as a disorder. There's extreme debate over whether or not ADD is a disorder, or if it even exists at all.
I see in myself that my here-to-fore smuggly touted ability to multi-task really is because I need to be doing two things at once (knitting & reading, talking on the phone & making dinner, writing a spec & reading dumb on-line articles) in order to be able to focus on the main task. In meetings, I take exmplary notes. Really detailed, outlined, highlighted notes. The head of the department, when she can't make it to a meeting, wants MY notes to know what went on. Why do I do this? Otherwise I couldn't stop my mind from racing long enough to understand the content of the meeting. For me, taking the notes is the physical activity I need to do in order to mentally process the conversations.
And, my kid isn't on drugs. She is on routines, low sugar, no tv and love.
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So ...
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Re:
articles like these are unfair to those of us that can do multiple activities at once and excel.
didn't your mom cook and clean at the same time? both were done well i'm sure.
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Re: Re:
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"Most people with ADD ... don't want to give attention to what who ever is in charge wants them to ..."
Thats another reason people want to slap the label "disordered" on anyone that doesn't want to focus on boring tasks. However, I don't doubt that this might not be your case, I just see far too often people with a personality quirk blame it on a disorder. Its just silly hypochondriacism, an quite an epidemic.
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Re: Zeroth404
What the heck are you talking about? Did you even READ what I wrote?
I don't think my kid, my husband or myself are disordered. Common convention uses the word ADD to discribe someone who is not focusing on what the herd is supposed to be focusing on at the moment. There is a different way of thinking and relating to tasks that is not typically rewarded in schools or even some workplaces. But it isn't hypochondriacism, faking it or being lazy. It is a different way of thinking.
Just because it isn't YOUR way of thinking doesn't mean you can just write it off. I agree that ADD is diagosed for people who don't really have a problem-- parents who can't bear to think they may have an "Average" kid will want to blame it on a disorder rather than just accept thier kid is a C student not an A. But really, there are people out there who think different.
I am highly successful, my husband is too, we have a kid who is well-liked and happy in school. We are busy in our community, temple and school. You wouldn't look at us and say "There goes a family with ADD", nor is it the way my husband or child thinks of themselves. But if I used words like "hyperfocused" from the start you would have NO IDEA what I was talking about (as you evidenced in a previous comment). So I used the conventional word and you jump on me for over-diagnosing a situation you clearly don't understand.
People got to do what they got to do. Sometimes it's two things at once. I like who ever said multi-talented, bucause that is a term I would use for anyone in my family. I'm proud that my kid has never sat around the house "bored" because she has the iniative & follow-through to learn all the planets (in order!) by the time she was three, or can tell you anything you want to know about ladybugs & aphids (she is 8 now).
Don't pass judgement until you have walked a mile in her shoes. You might be surprized.
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i just did it...
But wait, what are the risks and effects that this can cause me?
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You are right. Double negatives can be so confusing! You must forgive me because I was writing a doc, IMing, checking my email and listening to wmbr.org.
It's hard to always have to be an advocate for a differing perspective, especially when many people thinks they know all about it, and therefore they can make judgements.
keep fighting the good fight.
d
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It happens :-)
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Both Multitasking/Concentration are Important
Although, I've found that multitasking at times can severely slow some of the more elaborate and difficult tasks, if I were to take them up. Such as if I had programming code to complete, I'd rather focus all my attention towards shooting it down and getting the code done with, rather than stretching it out while multitasking, with things I don't nessisarily have to do (listen to music, chat with people on ICQ, download whatever). These things I can do later, and if I do this in this fashion, the mental strain is severely lessened.
This is also true with my recreational drawing/writing. I tend to be a whole lot more productive when I choose to focus on what I'm doing specifically rather than trying to do many things at once.
Athough this is true though, some tasks are just so simple and repetative in some cases, that not multitasking would be a waste of your capabilities and time. It's distincting whether to do so or not, is what is primarily important.
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nice debate...too long....just do it
Oh yeah....I'm 25...don't program like the rest of you guys..and I'm a multitasker....I do good work, get promotions, blah blah...you can't stereotype everybody in their 20s....it's like saying that all mexicans pick fruit or build houses....just not cool....forgot the point i was tryin to make....just kidding...no wait....
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Multi Tasking does not exist
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Stardard comment...
Yes, us young people multitask. But so do you oldies. So give it a break already.
Oh, and multitasking can be useful, especially in an IT invironment. The trick is to know when to NOT multitask. If you don't know how to do that, then you'll end up with so much work that you've started, and cannot finish....
"Hi, I'm Kiah, and I'm a IT Support person. Its been 3 minutes since my last OS install."
Peace out y'all
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There's ADHD, there's ADD, and there's Inattentive
ADHD which can denote Attention Deficit Disorder in which Hyperactivity is present.
—Inattentiveness,
—Impulsiveness, and
—Hyperactivity].
And as is often the case with English, ADHD is often used to a separate diagnosis Attention Deficit Disorder in which Hyperactivity is not present. Probably better acronym for this group is ADD.
—Inattentiveness, and
—Impulsiveness
Unfortunately, ADD is often used to denote the above categories as well as a third variant Attention Deficit Disorder -Primarily Inattentive. Which as far as I know has not earned its own acronym.
—Impulsiveness
AD/HD is sometimes used to acknowledge the first two groups but leaves out those who are "Primarily Inattentive." This makes "us" wonder it the rest of you are paying attention. :D
In Comment # 25 dnatoday said "My husband has extreme ADD & works as an engineering tech in R&D." It would be interesting to know the which variant he work with.
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I was said to have AD/HD all my life. I don't.
They took me, as I was then, a hyper kid and slapped a label on me as "disordered" having an "attention deficit" and wrapped it up in a fancy term that parents could obsess over called "ADHD." They druged me up for 8 years until I finally refused to take it anymore because its complete horse shit. Oh yeah, all my friends have HD/HD too.
I seriosuly doubt the legitimacy of throwing "Hyperactive" into something so different as "Attention Deficit Disorder." Whether or not people actually have this "disorder", I'm not qualified to judge, but I was said to have it and was prescribed treatments and I'm telling you I was never even properly diagnosed.
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20 Something Multitasker
I disagree with the argument that multitaskers have a hard time with complex problem solving. In fact I find myself being approached by the 40+ generation at my job asking me to help them figure out technical problems with some of the high tech equipment. I've even had several reporters and producers ask me to help them with very elementary computer issues. And with a few of them I find myself repeatedly saying the same thing over and over, but they just don't get it.
Processing complex information and problem solving in my opinion is a reflection of one's intelligence. I did say intelligence and not education. It is true that I can't figure out the mass of a hollow object, because I have no experience at doing it. Given enough time I could look up examples of the mathematical equation, work through a few to get used to the processes, and then attempt to figure it out. The reporter writing multitaskers have a harder time processing complex information should look at the test subjects IQ scores. I'm no genius, but I did score higher than the average bear.
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intuition
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