How To Shower - Men Vs Women - The most popular videos are here
Gender differences?
My friend here has a theory that no one actually "multi-tasks" - he or she is "time-slicing", i.e. creating a timetable mosaic of filled in spaces.
Whilst many agree that women do this better than men, there are downsides to it, e.g.:
Also, it's a myth that it is more efficient:
... and:
As for the gender difference:
I like the vertical, linear model. Whilst every effort is made to fill each space with effect energy usage, as my friend says, you can only do one thing at a time. When you split your attention to concentrate on another thing, even for a short time, the divided attention dilemma comes in.
He points out that it depends on the task.
When putting the spuds in to cook, it's pointless sitting watching them, so you do another task. Well, that's agreed but time is still linear. I was thinking more of the general manager walking along with his entourage, with people coming at him, left, right and centre, to whom he replies in shotgun, staccato fashion.
I'd like to do a time and motion study on him to see just how efficient he is overall. There is the little matter of the depreciation in the quality of his attention due to the constant switching, no matter how second nature it becomes.
Certainly there are tasks which can run themselves and so you spread your attention over different fields but in the end, it is still linear, time.
Is it a myth to say that multi-tasking is more efficient and it's certainly not more in-depth? Is it also a myth that women do it significantly better? There is a definite psychological mindset [of which women have only a part stake in the territory] in which the person sees him/herself as more effective if doing things this way. It's like a self-reassurance he/she wants those who matter to share.
At this point, the whole shebang is brought to a shuddering halt by observation, i.e. in the workplace, women DO seem to perform multiple tasks better. Why? If you accept the psychological test results, then there has to be another reason.
My friend comes up with a reason - women are more interested in doing it this way, therefore they've had tons of practice, therefore they do it better. Put her on a rugby field with it's intricate plays and would she do as well? Put her on a dance floor and she'll most certainly drop into her rhythm as if it's second nature, which it is.
Another thing to look at is exactly which tasks she is actually multi-tasking - how demanding is each and how in-depth is each? How much lateral thinking is required?
In the end, one would have to conclude that the gender differences in this are minor but the differences in life stories, interests and what has been practised so far may be immense. These are erroneously construed, by many, as gender differences.
Whilst many agree that women do this better than men, there are downsides to it, e.g.:
An example of a negative impact that divided attention or multitasking can cause is when someone’s attention is stretched as in “divided attention,” memory is negatively affected. Psychologist John Arden (2002) writes in his book about theories on multitasking that “Multitasking decreases your memory ability.” He also claims that for every new task that you take on “you dilute your investment in each task.” (Arden, 2002)
Also, it's a myth that it is more efficient:
Dr. David Meyer, a psychology professor at the University of Michigan, claims that multitasking can actually slow you down (Seven, 2004). He says that through research he has discovered that the more complex activities a person takes on, the more time it actually takes in the long run. His point is in agreement with Arden’s (2002) written views. Again, when you take on multiple tasks, you cannot perform them all at an optimum level. Meyer is also in agreement with Arden that when you are multitasking too much, you can experience short-term memory problems or difficulty concentrating.
... and:
Dr. Glenn Wilson (2005) recently performed a study for Hewlett Packard to explore the productivity of multitasking. What he discovered is astonishing. The average worker’s functioning IQ, a temporary qualitative state, drops 10 points when multitasking. That is more than double the four point drop that occurs when someone smokes marijuana.
As for the gender difference:
Dr. Marcel Just, Director of the Center for Cognitive Brain Imaging at Carnegie Mellon University agrees with Meyer. His studies on brain mapping, with participants between the ages of 18 and 32, show that women only score higher when asked to listen to two things at the same time (Just, 2001).
I like the vertical, linear model. Whilst every effort is made to fill each space with effect energy usage, as my friend says, you can only do one thing at a time. When you split your attention to concentrate on another thing, even for a short time, the divided attention dilemma comes in.
He points out that it depends on the task.
When putting the spuds in to cook, it's pointless sitting watching them, so you do another task. Well, that's agreed but time is still linear. I was thinking more of the general manager walking along with his entourage, with people coming at him, left, right and centre, to whom he replies in shotgun, staccato fashion.
I'd like to do a time and motion study on him to see just how efficient he is overall. There is the little matter of the depreciation in the quality of his attention due to the constant switching, no matter how second nature it becomes.
Certainly there are tasks which can run themselves and so you spread your attention over different fields but in the end, it is still linear, time.
Is it a myth to say that multi-tasking is more efficient and it's certainly not more in-depth? Is it also a myth that women do it significantly better? There is a definite psychological mindset [of which women have only a part stake in the territory] in which the person sees him/herself as more effective if doing things this way. It's like a self-reassurance he/she wants those who matter to share.
At this point, the whole shebang is brought to a shuddering halt by observation, i.e. in the workplace, women DO seem to perform multiple tasks better. Why? If you accept the psychological test results, then there has to be another reason.
My friend comes up with a reason - women are more interested in doing it this way, therefore they've had tons of practice, therefore they do it better. Put her on a rugby field with it's intricate plays and would she do as well? Put her on a dance floor and she'll most certainly drop into her rhythm as if it's second nature, which it is.
Another thing to look at is exactly which tasks she is actually multi-tasking - how demanding is each and how in-depth is each? How much lateral thinking is required?
In the end, one would have to conclude that the gender differences in this are minor but the differences in life stories, interests and what has been practised so far may be immense. These are erroneously construed, by many, as gender differences.
My feeling is that it is better to focus and do a proper job on one task than to do several tasks half-assed.
ReplyDeleteMy tendency is to do too many things at once. When I am reading blogs I tend to multitask and flit between blogs. Ultimately fine since nobody is paying for that. Not so good at work.
ReplyDeleteThat guys shower is way too complicated.
I was thinking the same thing about the girls shower Colin!!!
ReplyDeleteActually I would much rather have a long soak in the bath!