ENG 122_3-2 Writing Plan
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Southern New Hampshire University *
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122
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English
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Apr 3, 2024
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docx
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English 122: 3-2 Writing Plan
In “The High Price of Multitasking,” author Daniel Willingham is set out to prove the dangers and negative side of multi-tasking and how it affects the outcome of the tasks at hand. He uses examples such as having a higher chance of getting hit by a vehicle if you were crossing a road while listening to music or increasing your risk of an accident if texting while driving (Willingham A21). Willingham pushes the need to understand the reality “
about what poor task performance might mean, given that you're not as good at multitasking as you believe” (Willingham A21).
While being persuasive in trying to prove how dangerous multi-tasking can be, Willingham also provides some tips on how to better manage multi-tasking should you still choose to do so.
Willingham points out that response time declines by 20 percent when switching between
tasks, making certain tasks extremely dangerous, ultimately decreasing the quality of the end result in most tasks. Willingham references an experiment where subjects responded 20 percent slower than their initial responses when identifying a letter or number as vowel or non-vowel, even or odd. The slower response was due to the extra steps required like resetting your goal and reloading the mental rule producing the outcome. Willingham continues to provide various bits of proof through various surveys such as a 2015 survey where students thought that they could comprehend material that they were studying while also watching TV or scrolling through social media.
Willingham speaks a lot towards the subject of driving or even walking while listening to
music. Driving requires much attention, but the simple task of walking we pretty much do on autopilot, right? Willingham references a virtual study showed that one is more likely to get hit by a vehicle when crossing the street while listening to music than if their full attention was on
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the simple task at hand, crossing the street (Willingham A21). We may briefly look both ways, or maybe think that we did, while listening to music, focusing on lyrics or rhythm rather than the traffic surrounding us.
Although lawmakers have stepped in and forty-eight states are on board banning texting while driving, this does not cover the multiple ways people can still legally multitask while driving. Willingham encourages self-regulation and the need to understand how the brain multitasks to avoid unfortunate outcomes. Honolulu has banned pedestrians from texting or even looking at mobile devices while crossing the street and the Netherland have banned texting while
riding a bike. None of these laws ban the act of multitasking while operating a vehicle, bicycle or
while walking. Only twenty states have banned the use of hand-held phones while driving but still allow the use of hands-free devices, Willingham claims this makes no difference – “they impair driving equivalently as far as external hazards go” (Willingham A21).
Willingham’s primary audience would be the readers of The New York Times, more specifically anyone and everyone who believes multi-tasking is useful in life and will provide a positive outcome for the tasks at hand. Anyone who believes that they can catch up or cut down on time by multitasking. Providing his readers with multiple examples and explain their negative outcomes. Anyone who may question their ability to multitask would find solitude in this article.
Willingham makes multiple connections to his audience by providing a wide variety of multitasking examples that many can relate to. Driving while using a mobile device, walking, or studying while listening to music and even attending a conference while responding to an email. Willingham wants his audience to understand across all of these examples that multitasking in every form does not provide a positive outcome. One way or the other, one or
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both of the tasks will suffer in some way, shape, or form and in some events the person attempting the act of multitasking could suffer or cause personal injury. Ultimately, Willingham provides a persuasive argument as to why multitasking comes at a high price. Willingham supports his claims with experiments, surveys, and state law. Willingham also provides suggestions on how to complete multiple tasks successfully if there is predictable downtime during one or both tasks. Start one task, set it down and switch to another. Be aware of the choice to multitask and know the potential consequences in doing so.
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Works Cited
Willingham, Daniel T. "The High Price of Multitasking."
New York Times
, 15 July 2019, p. A21(L).
The High Price of Multitasking: [Op-Ed]
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