There
is a popular belief that women are better than men at multitasking. Although
some studies have supported this claim, other scientists have pointed to the
insufficient evidence for this generalization. New research supports the
former, suggesting it may be more difficult for the male brain to switch
between tasks, as it uses more resources to do so.
Men may find
it more difficult to switch between tasks, suggests a new study
We commonly use the term
"multitasking" to refer to our brain's ability to perform several
tasks at once.
However, from a psychological point of view,
"task-switching" may be a more accurate term. Findings in neuroscience and psychology suggest that during what is commonly referred to
as "multitasking," the brain actually performs a task, stops, and
switches to the next one, all in a very short span of time.
There is a popular belief that women are better at
task-switching than men, but some scientists have argued that this remains a
popular generalization with no scientific evidence to support it. For example,
one extensive overview of
scientific literature "could not find a single scientific report to
support this view."
However, other studies suggest women do perform better at
least in some multi-tasking paradigms. One such study found women outperformed men in
computer-based, task-switching tests, as well as in
"paper-and-pencil" multitasking tests. Men were also significantly
slower in switching between tasks.
New
research looks at how much energy male brains spend when performing
task-switching tests, as well as what areas of the brain are activated when
doing so.
Studying
task-switching in men and women
A new
study performed by researchers from the Higher School of Economics (HSE) in
Moscow, Russia, looks at gender differences in attention-switching task
performance.
The
research was led by Svetlana Kuptsova and Maria Ivanova, from the HSE
Neurolinguistic Laboratory.
Researchers
examined 140 men and women aged between 20-65, of whom 69 were men.
Participants
were asked to perform a task-switching test inside a functional magnetic
resonance imaging (fMRI) machine, and blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD)
contrast imaging was used to observe activity in the brain.
Participants
were asked to switch attention between two objectives, in a pseudo-random order.
They were required to classify figures according to shape, namely round or
square, and classify them according to number, i.e. one or two.
Researchers
calculated the volumes of gray and white matter in the entire brain and in
selected areas.
Additionally,
they conducted neuropsychological tests, such as the D-KEFS Trail Making Test,
to measure the participants' attention-switching ability, and the Wechsler
Memory Scale Test to measure their auditory and visual memory.
Men use more
brain resources to switch between tasks
Regardless
of gender or age, task-switching usually activates the dorsolateral prefrontal
areas of the brain, the inferior parietal lobes, and the inferior occipital
gyrus.
The
study revealed that compared with women, young men aged between 20-30 had
greater bilateral activation in the prefrontal areas and higher activity in the
right parietal lobe and insula. In addition, men displayed bilateral activation
of the supplementary motor area, which was not observed in women.
Age
seemed to somewhat impact the results. The observed brain activation was
localized in younger adults but became more diffused with age. No correlation
between BOLD signals and age was noticed between the ages of 20-40 in women and
between 20-55 in men. However, after this age, researchers found an increase in
the number of brain areas activated in both men and women.
Gender
differences also became negligible with age, as researchers did not register
any significant differences in men and women aged between 51-65.
Finally,
the analysis showed a decrease in gray, but not white matter with age.
The results of the study was published in the peer-reviewed
journal Human Physiology.
Men may find
task-switching more difficult
The
research suggests men might find it more difficult to switch between tasks, as
the male brain appears to need more brain power when doing this.
"We know that stronger
activation and involvement of supplementary areas of the brain are normally
observed in subjects faced with complex tasks. Our findings suggest that women
might find it easier than men to switch attention and their brains do not need
to mobilize extra resources in doing so, as opposed to male brains."
Svetlana
Kuptsova
Although
the difference found in reaction time is scientifically relevant, in day-to-day
life it is barely noticeable, explains Kuptsova, with the exception of perhaps
"really stressful circumstances or critical situations which require
frequent switching of attention."
The
reasons for this difference remain unknown. As Kuptsova argues, although
evolutionary and social factors might play a role, any assumptions as to why
nature might need it are pure speculation.
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