Measuring Multi-tasking Ability

"Multi-tasking requires dealing with information from multiple sources under time constraints and is critical for successful (i.e., safe) performance in many occupations. The primary objective of Phase I will be to design a reliable and valid measure ofthe ability to learn and perform jobs that require skilled multi-tasking. Formal development and validation of the measure will then be performed in Phase II. The first objective of Phase I will be to review the current literature and identify existingmeasures of multi-tasking ability. The second objective will be to design the multi-tasking test, and will involve two tasks: 1) identify existing measures that can be combined and/or modified for inclusion in the test, and 2) analyze several commonmulti-tasking jobs to determine the cognitive requirements that a general multi-tasking test must assess. The third and final objective will be to plan the validation studies to be performed in Phase II, which will entail obtaining human subjectscommittee approval and identifying and accessing an appropriate subject population. Phase I products will include a database of reviewed multi-tasking literature, a database of candidate multi-tasking measures matched to multi-tasking abilities, the testdesign, the Phase II study design, and IRB human subject approval. The resulting test would provide a much-needed tool for screening applicants in a multitude of occupations requiring multi-tasking,