The influence of planning and interruptions on multitasking assessment in healthy aging

Background and aims: In neuropsychological assessment, measures which reflect the demands imposed in everyday life are thought to be better predictors of an individual’s performance in daily life. Performance on everyday tasks such as preparing a meal or shopping is typically assessed in clinical and research settings using multitasking paradigms. Multitasking is the ability to complete several tasks within a limited time period by switching between the tasks and planning the best order to perform them. While multitasking is thought to decline in healthy aging, how it might be improved remains poorly understood. In this study, we present two experiments investigating the influence of planning and unexpected interruptions on multitasking in healthy aging. Methods: In Experiment 1, 32 younger and 30 older adults performed the multitasking paradigm (Law et al., 2004); participants were randomly allocated to plan or no plan conditions. In Experiment 2, 20 younger and 22 older adults performed the same multitasking paradigm; some received an unexpected interruption during the task. Results: While planning had no influence on younger adults’ multitasking, older adults in the plan condition performed significantly better than older adults in the no plan condition. An unexpected interruption also had no influence on younger adults’ multitasking, but older adults in the interruption condition performed significantly better than older adults in the no interruption condition. Conclusion: These findings suggest that older adults’ multitasking is improved when encouraged to formulate a plan or take a break mid-task, allowing them to refocus on the task at hand.