Why is Multitasking So Hard? Psychology for Kids – ExpeRimental #25

Learn how different parts of your brain deal with different tasks, test your multitasking skills, and explore how some activities 'interfere' with each other.
Tell us what you think, and you could win £100: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/ZGHPJ7H
Download the infosheet here for more instructions: http://www.rigb.org/families/experimental/multitasking-mayhem
Send us a photo of you doing the experiment, and you could win £100! http://www.rigb.org/families/experimental/competition

Aaron and Phoebe experiment with their ability to multitask. By trying to do a variety of activities in combination with each other, they explore why some sorts of multitasking are easy, and some are almost impossible. Can you count while someone else says numbers at you? Can you rub your tummy and pat your head at the same time? Can you sing one song while listening to another? These pairs are all similar tasks that 'interfere' with each other, because the same part of the brain is needed to carry both out.
However, try rubbing your head while counting, and it's not so hard, because your brain can tackle each task simultaneously. Experiment at home to see what combinations are hardest, and whether you can manage them with a bit of practise.

This series of ExpeRimental is supported by the British Psychological Society: https://beta.bps.org.uk/

Subscribe for regular science videos: http://bit.ly/RiSubscRibe

The Ri is on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ri_science
and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/royalinstitution
and Tumblr: http://ri-science.tumblr.com/
Our editorial policy: http://richannel.org/home/editorial-policy
Subscribe for the latest science videos: http://bit.ly/RiNewsletter