Cyberpsychology Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace· 2026Q1
Media-multitasking and attentional control: A theory-driven research agenda
- 1citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
Existing research on media-multitasking's impact on attentional control is inconclusive due to a failure to account for individual differences in attentional control, proposing a new theory-driven agenda for future cross-sectional studies.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- Cross-sectional studies on media-multitasking and attentional control yield inconsistent and inconclusive outcomes.
- A key limitation in current research is the neglect of intra-individual variation in attentional control.
- The paper outlines a theory-driven research agenda to guide future cross-sectional studies.
- This agenda aims to provide an evidence base for justifying and informing more resource-intensive causal research.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Mobile digital technologies provide ample incentives and opportunities for media-multitasking, and media consumption has become almost synonymous with media-multitasking as a result. Concerns have been raised about the potential sustained impact of media-multitasking on attentional control, and ample empirical studies have been devoted to this topic. However, recent reviews and meta-analyses demonstrate that cross-sectional outcomes on the relationship between media-multitasking and attentional control remain inconsistent and inconclusive. This obstructs theoretical advancement regarding sustained impact and, consequently, hinders clear insight into the question about whether, when, and for whom remedial interventions should be considered. In the current paper, we argue that extant research has suffered from a collective failure to consider relevant intra-individual variation in attentional control. We investigate the theoretical and methodological implications of this neglect for the study of sustained media-multitasking effects on attentional control, outlining the tenets of a theory-driven research agenda to guide a new generation of cross-sectional studies. These will be much needed in providing the evidence base to justify and inform more resource-intensive causal research in this field.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Cyberpsychology Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Sociology and Political Science
Sociology and Political ScienceSocial Sciences