Bridging concurrent multitasking, task switching, and complex multitasking: The general and specific skills involved

Research on multitasking has adopted a diverse range of simple paradigms covering concurrent multitasking and task-switching scenarios, alongside more complex paradigms simulating real-life situations more closely. Investigating the relationships among them is essential for uncovering shared cognitive mechanisms, advancing a unified theory of multitasking, and exploring the link of multitasking to other cognitive functions. We adopted an individual-difference approach to examine the unity and separability of multitasking ability. Nine paradigms were completed by 224 university students, with three paradigms each for concurrent multitasking, task switching, and complex multitasking. Confirmatory factor analyses showed both general and specific factors required to capture individual differences in performance. Specifically, individual differences in task switching performance can be explained by a general ability shared with the other two types of paradigms, whereas both general and specific abilities were involved in concurrent multitasking and complex multitasking. These results help reconcile conflicting findings in previous studies of group differences in multitasking and highlight the limitation in the generalizability of claims based solely on performance in a single paradigm. Given the multifaceted nature of multitasking, it is recommended that assessment and intervention of multitasking encompass a comprehensive array of paradigm types to cover both general and specific abilities.