Contrary to popular belief, consistent distraction actually doesn't hinder learning according to a new study.
Researchers from Brown University found that consistent distraction doesn't get in the way of learning -- inconsistent distractions are the bigger culprit.
They came to this conclusion in their study by performing two seperate tests.
In the first test, the researchers asked 48 volunteers to manipulate a stylus on a touchpad to virtually reach for targets on a computer screen. Some of the participants, along with reaching for the targets, also had to count symbols that moved on the screen as well. Another portion of the participants had to reach for the targets while symbols moved on the screen, but they didn't have to count them.
The researchers found that the volunteers who were focused on just the targets (one thing) did just as well as those who were focused on both the symbols and the targets (two things). The hinder in learning came in the group that wasn't consistently distracted by the symbols.
The second test was similar to the first, except it consisted of other types of distractions such as shapes, brightness and sound. This test had the same results as the first -- it didn't matter if the volunteers were distracted as long as they were consistently distracted.
"The underlying assumption people have is that divided attention is bad -- if you divide your attention, your performance should get worse," lead researcher Joo-Hyun Song said of the experiment. "But learning has a later, skill-retrieval part. People haven't studied what's the role of divided attention in memory recall later."
Song plans to continue the study to see if she can improve learning by studying attention.
As for now, her study on distractions can be read in the journal Psychological Science.
