Media multitasking and cognitive control: A systematic review of interventions

Extending from the increasing prevalence of media in personal, social, and work environments, research has indicated that media multitasking (i.e., engaging in more than one media or non-media activity simultaneously) is associated with changes in cognitive control and failures of everyday executive functioning. While more research is required to elucidate these associations, the emergent trend, while small, suggests a negative relationship between high levels of media multitasking and aspects of cognitive control. In response, researchers have called for studies investigating the remedial efficacy of interventions targeting the effects of media multitasking on executive functioning. To provide a foundation for such research this systematic review integrates current findings concerning such interventions. Four databases (Web of Science, Scopus, Academic Search Premier, and PsycINFO) were searched to identify relevant studies, producing 2792 results. 15 studies met the eligibility criteria. At the time of review current interventions fall into three categories: awareness, restriction, and mindfulness. While some interventions have been effective at changing behaviour or cognitive outcomes, no single category contains interventions which, categorically, produced improvements in attention-related performance. Extending from this synthesis key research gaps are identified, with suggestions for future research proposed.