Multitask

Multitasking entails juggling different work activities and shifting attention from one task to another. Ideally, an employee will be able to meet the demands of several different stakeholders without dropping the ball. Another word for multitask. Find more ways to say multitask, along with related words, antonyms and example phrases at Thesaurus.com, the world's most trusted free thesaurus. Multitask Share Collapse Notice: Many browsers are beginning to disable or hide the Adobe Flash plugin, in preparation for its end-of-life in December 2020.

What the research shows

Doing more than one task at a time, especially more than one complex task, takes a toll on productivity. Although that shouldn't surprise anyone who has talked on the phone while checking E-mail or talked on a cell phone while driving, the extent of the problem might come as a shock. Psychologists who study what happens to cognition (mental processes) when people try to perform more than one task at a time have found that the mind and brain were not designed for heavy-duty multitasking. Psychologists tend to liken the job to choreography or air-traffic control, noting that in these operations, as in others, mental overload can result in catastrophe.

Multitasking can take place when someone tries to perform two tasks simultaneously, switch . from one task to another, or perform two or more tasks in rapid succession. To determine the costs of this kind of mental 'juggling,' psychologists conduct task-switching experiments. By comparing how long it takes for people to get everything done, the psychologists can measure the cost in time for switching tasks. They also assess how different aspects of the tasks, such as complexity or familiarity, affect any extra time cost of switching.

In the mid-1990s, Robert Rogers, PhD, and Stephen Monsell, D.Phil, found that even when people had to switch completely predictably between two tasks every two or four trials, they were still slower on task-switch than on task-repeat trials. Moreover, increasing the time available between trials for preparation reduced but did not eliminate the cost of switching. There thus appear to be two parts to the switch cost -- one attributable to the time taken to adjust the mental control settings (which can be done in advance it there is time), and another part due to competition due to carry-over of the control settings from the previous trial (apparently immune to preparation).

Surprisingly, it can be harder to switch to the more habitual of two tasks afforded by a stimulus. For example, Renata Meuter, PhD, and Alan Allport, PhD, reported in 1999 that if people had to name digits in their first or second language, depending on the color of the background, as one might expect they named digits in their second language slower than in their first when the language repeated. But they were slower in their first language when the language changed.

In experiments published in 2001, Joshua Rubinstein, PhD, Jeffrey Evans, PhD, and David Meyer, PhD, conducted four experiments in which young adults switched between different tasks, such as solving math problems or classifying geometric objects. For all tasks, the participants lost time when they had to switch from one task to another. As tasks got more complex, participants lost more time. As a result, people took significantly longer to switch between more complex tasks. Time costs were also greater when the participants switched to tasks that were relatively unfamiliar. They got up to speed faster when they switched to tasks they knew better.

In a 2003 paper, Nick Yeung, Ph.D, and Monsell quantitatively modeled the complex and sometimes surprising experimental interactions between relative task dominance and task switching. The results revealed just some of the complexities involved in understanding the cognitive load imposed by real-life multi-tasking, when in addition to reconfiguring control settings for a new task, there is often the need to remember where you got to in the task to which you are returning and to decide which task to change to, when.

What the research means

According to Meyer, Evans and Rubinstein, converging evidence suggests that the human 'executive control' processes have two distinct, complementary stages. They call one stage 'goal shifting' ('I want to do this now instead of that') and the other stage 'rule activation' ('I'm turning off the rules for that and turning on the rules for this'). Both of these stages help people to, without awareness, switch between tasks. That's helpful. Problems arise only when switching costs conflict with environmental demands for productivity and safety.

Although switch costs may be relatively small, sometimes just a few tenths of a second per switch, they can add up to large amounts when people switch repeatedly back and forth between tasks. Thus, multitasking may seem efficient on the surface but may actually take more time in the end and involve more error. Meyer has said that even brief mental blocks created by shifting between tasks can cost as much as 40 percent of someone's productive time.

How we use the research

Understanding the hidden costs of multitasking may help people to choose strategies that boost their efficiency - above all, by avoiding multitasking, especially with complex tasks. (Throwing in a load of laundry while talking to a friend will probably work out all right.) For example, losing just a half second of time to task switching can make a life-or-death difference for a driver on a cell phone traveling at 30 MPH. During the time the driver is not totally focused on driving the car, it can travel far enough to crash into an obstacle that might otherwise have been avoided.

Meyer and his colleagues hope that understanding switching costs and the light they shed on 'executive control' may help to improve the design and engineering of equipment and human-computer interfaces for vehicle and aircraft operation, air traffic control, and many other activities using sophisticated technologies. Insights into how the brain 'multitasks' lend themselves to a range of settings from the clinic, helping to diagnose and help brain-injured patients, to the halls of Congress, informing government and industrial regulations and standards.

This research is also taken into account by states and localities considering legislation to restrict drivers' use of cell phones.

Sources & further reading

Gopher, D., Armony, L. & Greenspan, Y. (2000). Switching tasks and attention policies. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 129, 308-229.

Mayr, U. & Kliegl, R. (2000). Task-set switching and long-term memory retrieval. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 26, 1124-1140.

Meuter, R. F. I. & Allport, A. (1999). Bilingual language switching in naming: Asymmetrical costs of language selection. Journal of Memory and Language, 40(1), 25-40.

Meyer, D. E. & Kieras, D. E. (1997a). A computational theory of executive cognitive processes and multiple-task performance: Part 1. Basic mechanisms. Psychological Review, 104, 3-65.

Meyer, D. E. & Kieras, D. E. (1997b). A computational theory of executive cognitive processes and multiple-task performance: Part 2. Accounts of psychological refractory-period phenomena. Psychological Review, 104, 749-791.

Monsell, S., Azuma, R., Eimer, M., Le Pelley, M., & Strafford, S. (1998, July). Does a prepared task switch require an extra (control) process between stimulus onset and response selection? Poster presented at the 18th International Symposium on Attention and Performance, Windsor Great Park, United Kingdom.

Monsell, S., Yeung, N., & Azuma, R. (2000). Reconfiguration of task-set: Is it easier to switch to the weaker task? Psychological Research, 63, 250-264.

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Monsell, S. & Driver, J., Eds. (2000). Control of cognitive processes: Attention and Performance XVIII. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.

Rogers, R. & Monsell, S. (1995). The costs of a predictable switch between simple cognitive tasks. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 124, 207-231.

Rubinstein, J., Evans, J. & Meyer, D. E. (1994). Task switching in patients with prefrontal cortex damage. Poster presented at the meeting of the Cognitive Neuroscience Society, San Francisco, CA, March, 1994. Abstract published in Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 1994, Vol. 6.

Rubinstein, J. S., Meyer, D. E. & Evans, J. E. (2001). Executive Control of Cognitive Processes in Task Switching. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 27, 763-797.

Yeung, N. & Monsell, S. (2003). Switching between tasks of unequal familiarity: The role of stimulus-attribute and response-set selection. Journal of Experimental Psychology-Human Perception and Performance, 29(2): 455-469.

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Use the Dock to work with more apps simultaneously

The Dock lets you instantly open and switch apps from any app you're in. You can even customize the left side of the Dock with your favorite apps. And on the right side, you can see apps that you recently used and apps that are open on your iPhone and Mac.

You can find the Dock at the bottom of the Home screen. To see the Dock while you're using an app, slide one finger up from the bottom edge of the screen until the Dock appears, then release.

To customize the Dock with your favorite apps, touch and hold an app on the Home screen, then immediately drag it to the left side of the Dock.

To remove an app from the Dock, touch and hold an app on the left side of the Dock, then immediately drag it off.

Use two apps at the same time

The Dock makes it easy to work with multiple apps at the same time. Drag an app out of the Dock to make a Slide Over or drag it to the right or left edge of the screen to make a Split View. You can even work on multiple apps in Slide Over, view two apps in Split View, and watch a movie or use FaceTime in Picture in Picture — all on the same screen.

Open an app with Slide Over

Use Slide Over to work on an app that slides in front of any open app, or even over two open apps in Split View.

How to use Slide Over:

1. Open an app.
2. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to open the Dock.
3. On the Dock, touch and hold the second app that you want to open, then drag it to the screen.

Use Slide Over in Split View:

Lords of the fallen review. If you're working with two apps in Split View and want to open a third app in Slide Over, just swipe up from the bottom of the screen to open the Dock. Then drag the app on top of the app divider.

• To move the app that's open in Slide Over, touch and hold , then drag it to the left or right side of the screen.
• You can also move the app that's open in Slide Over off the screen and slide it back when you want to use it. Just place your finger on and drag the app to the right and off the screen. When you want to use the app again, swipe left from the right side of the screen.
• You can work with more than one app in Slide Over when you're in Split View. To switch between apps you have open in Slide Over, swipe to the right or left. To close an app in Slide Over, swipe up on and hold in the middle of the screen to show all the apps you have open, then swipe up again on the app you want to close.

Some supported apps, like iWork and Files let you use Split View in the same app.

You can use Slide Over with iPad Pro, iPad (5th generation and later), iPad Air 2 and later, or iPad mini 4 and later.

Use two apps at the same time with Split View

With Split View, you can use two apps at the same time. For example, you can view photos while you compose an email. Or look at a location in Maps while you search for vacation ideas in Safari.

How to use Split View:

1. Open an app.
2. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to open the Dock.
3. On the Dock, touch and hold the second app that you want to open, then drag it off the dock to the left or right edge of the screen.

How to adjust Split View:

• To give the apps equal space on the screen, drag the app divider to the center of the screen.
• To turn a Split View into a Slide Over, swipe down from the top of the app.
• To close Split View, drag the app divider over the app that you want to close.

Meyer, D. E. & Kieras, D. E. (1997a). A computational theory of executive cognitive processes and multiple-task performance: Part 1. Basic mechanisms. Psychological Review, 104, 3-65.

Meyer, D. E. & Kieras, D. E. (1997b). A computational theory of executive cognitive processes and multiple-task performance: Part 2. Accounts of psychological refractory-period phenomena. Psychological Review, 104, 749-791.

Monsell, S., Azuma, R., Eimer, M., Le Pelley, M., & Strafford, S. (1998, July). Does a prepared task switch require an extra (control) process between stimulus onset and response selection? Poster presented at the 18th International Symposium on Attention and Performance, Windsor Great Park, United Kingdom.

Monsell, S., Yeung, N., & Azuma, R. (2000). Reconfiguration of task-set: Is it easier to switch to the weaker task? Psychological Research, 63, 250-264.

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Monsell, S. & Driver, J., Eds. (2000). Control of cognitive processes: Attention and Performance XVIII. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.

Rogers, R. & Monsell, S. (1995). The costs of a predictable switch between simple cognitive tasks. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 124, 207-231.

Rubinstein, J., Evans, J. & Meyer, D. E. (1994). Task switching in patients with prefrontal cortex damage. Poster presented at the meeting of the Cognitive Neuroscience Society, San Francisco, CA, March, 1994. Abstract published in Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 1994, Vol. 6.

Rubinstein, J. S., Meyer, D. E. & Evans, J. E. (2001). Executive Control of Cognitive Processes in Task Switching. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 27, 763-797.

Yeung, N. & Monsell, S. (2003). Switching between tasks of unequal familiarity: The role of stimulus-attribute and response-set selection. Journal of Experimental Psychology-Human Perception and Performance, 29(2): 455-469.

Thanks for letting us know that this page .

Use the Dock to work with more apps simultaneously

The Dock lets you instantly open and switch apps from any app you're in. You can even customize the left side of the Dock with your favorite apps. And on the right side, you can see apps that you recently used and apps that are open on your iPhone and Mac.

You can find the Dock at the bottom of the Home screen. To see the Dock while you're using an app, slide one finger up from the bottom edge of the screen until the Dock appears, then release.

To customize the Dock with your favorite apps, touch and hold an app on the Home screen, then immediately drag it to the left side of the Dock.

To remove an app from the Dock, touch and hold an app on the left side of the Dock, then immediately drag it off.

Use two apps at the same time

The Dock makes it easy to work with multiple apps at the same time. Drag an app out of the Dock to make a Slide Over or drag it to the right or left edge of the screen to make a Split View. You can even work on multiple apps in Slide Over, view two apps in Split View, and watch a movie or use FaceTime in Picture in Picture — all on the same screen.

Open an app with Slide Over

Use Slide Over to work on an app that slides in front of any open app, or even over two open apps in Split View.

How to use Slide Over:

1. Open an app.
2. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to open the Dock.
3. On the Dock, touch and hold the second app that you want to open, then drag it to the screen.

Use Slide Over in Split View:

Lords of the fallen review. If you're working with two apps in Split View and want to open a third app in Slide Over, just swipe up from the bottom of the screen to open the Dock. Then drag the app on top of the app divider.

• To move the app that's open in Slide Over, touch and hold , then drag it to the left or right side of the screen.
• You can also move the app that's open in Slide Over off the screen and slide it back when you want to use it. Just place your finger on and drag the app to the right and off the screen. When you want to use the app again, swipe left from the right side of the screen.
• You can work with more than one app in Slide Over when you're in Split View. To switch between apps you have open in Slide Over, swipe to the right or left. To close an app in Slide Over, swipe up on and hold in the middle of the screen to show all the apps you have open, then swipe up again on the app you want to close.

Some supported apps, like iWork and Files let you use Split View in the same app.

You can use Slide Over with iPad Pro, iPad (5th generation and later), iPad Air 2 and later, or iPad mini 4 and later.

Use two apps at the same time with Split View

With Split View, you can use two apps at the same time. For example, you can view photos while you compose an email. Or look at a location in Maps while you search for vacation ideas in Safari.

How to use Split View:

1. Open an app.
2. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to open the Dock.
3. On the Dock, touch and hold the second app that you want to open, then drag it off the dock to the left or right edge of the screen.

How to adjust Split View:

• To give the apps equal space on the screen, drag the app divider to the center of the screen.
• To turn a Split View into a Slide Over, swipe down from the top of the app.
• To close Split View, drag the app divider over the app that you want to close.

Learn how to use Split View in Safari to see two websites at the same time on your iPad.

You can use Split View with iPad Pro, iPad (5th generation and later), iPad Air 2 and later, or iPad mini 4 and later.

Use apps while you watch a video with Picture in Picture

With Picture in Picture, you can do things like respond to an email while watching a TV show. If you're using FaceTime or watching a movie, tap and the video screen scales down to a corner of your display. Then you can open a second app and the video will continue to play.

To move the video, drag it to another corner. To return the video to full screen, tap on the left corner of the video. You can also hide the video by dragging it to the left or right edge of your display. Tap the arrow icon to make the video reappear.

You can use Picture in Picture with iPad Pro, iPad (5th generation and later), iPad Air 2 and later, or iPad mini 4 and later.

Use gestures with iPadOS

Use Multitasking gestures on your iPad to quickly see the app switcher, switch to another app, or return to the Home screen:

• See the app switcher: Swipe up with one finger from the bottom edge of the screen and hold in the middle of the screen until the app switcher appears. Then swipe left or right with one finger to find and open a different app.
• Switch apps: While using an app, swipe left or right with four or five fingers to switch to a previously used app. On an iPad Pro with Face ID, iPad Pro 11-inch, or iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation), swipe along the bottom edge of your screen to switch between previously used apps.
• Return to the Home screen: While using an app, swipe up from the bottom edge of the screen. You can also pinch five fingers together on the screen to return to the Home screen.

Drag and drop between apps

With drag and drop, you can move text, photos, and files from one app to another. For example, you can drag text from Safari into a note, an image from Photos into a an email or a calendar event into a text message:

1. Open the two apps in Split View or Slide Over.
2. Touch and hold the item until it lifts up. To select multiple items, touch and hold an item, drag it slightly, then continue to hold it while you tap additional items with another finger. A badge indicates the number of selected items. To drag and drop text, select the text first, then touch and hold the text until it lifts up.
3. Drag the item to the other app and drop it.

Turn Multitasking features on or off

To turn Multitasking features on or off, go to Settings > Home Screen & Dock > Multitasking, then you can do the following:

• Allow Multiple Apps: Turn off if you don't want to use Slide Over or Split View.
• Picture in Picture: Turn off if you don't want to use Picture in Picture.
• Gestures: Turn off if you don't want to use Multitasking gestures to see the app switcher, return to the Home screen, and more.

Multitasking Is An Example Of

In Settings > Home Screen & Dock, you can turn on Show Suggested and Recent Apps in Dock to see recently used apps on the right side of the Dock.

Multitask Thesaurus

Learn more

Multitasking Games Online

• Learn how to use Split View in Safari to see two websites at the same time on your iPad.
• Get help if an app unexpectedly quits, stops responding, or won't open.
• Learn how to split and move the keyboard on your iPad.
• Find out how to change settings on your device to maximize battery life.
• Choose which suspended apps check for new content with Background App Refresh.