Multitasking In the Brain

MY PINNACLE PROJECT

Introduction

• Initially, I was going to do an entirely different project about eczema
• However, I soon realized that I wouldn’t be able to get enough data and needed to change my topic immediately, so I decided to think about topics applicable to my life

Introduction (continued)

• My parents had always told me not to multitask as it was less efficient and could damage the mind, so I thought it would be interesting to look into multitasking and its efficiency further
• After some brainstorming and background research, I decided to try and compare multitasking in various areas of the brain, specifically the motor and frontal areas

World Implications

• In this day and age, everyone’s lives are fast-paced and frantic, everyone trying desperately to get as much done in each short day as possible

• As a result, many people resort to multitasking, which seems like a great way to get more done in less time
• However, most people don’t consider that multitasking might actually be less efficient and result in lower work quality

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Process

The making of my project consisted of three main parts: Planning, testing, and final products

1. The planning stage was mainly my first project, so I didn’t do a ton for my multitasking project, though I did do background research and decided what my project was

going to be

Process (continued)

2. I also rushed a bit in the testing stage, since I only had about a week by the time I was ready to test. I spent the time going around school and other places, giving people forms for their parents to sign and testing people during my free time

Process (continued)

3. During the final products stage, I wrote and revised my

paper and crafted my board for regionals. I later remade

my board for states and produced a final copy of my paper

to submit to the judges and to my advisor

Final Products

• I created a board, which is shown on the next slide, displaying my results
• I wrote a scientific paper, which won the Elemer Bernath Memorial Technical Writing Award at state science fair
• I received second place in the Junior Division of Behavioral & Social Sciences and the Outstanding Achievement in Psychological Sciences Award for the junior division

How the Pandemic Affected My Project

• The pandemic and remote learning occurred between regional and state STEM Fair
• As a result, I had to adjust how I was going to present my project, taking a picture of my board and speaking on

the phone to all the judges at once instead of speaking to them one by one in person

• That made it far more nerve-wracking and stressful

Next Steps

I think that it would interesting to look into my topic further in the future, perhaps for another project. I would like to incorporate more areas of the brain and narrow down which areas various tasks involve, maybe even with the help of a specialist.

Takeaways

• What I learned about myself was mainly that I need to able to accept failure and realize when something is a lost cause
• I delayed the switching of my topic for a lot longer than I should have and I regretted it
• Doing a year-long project was a new experience for me, and I think that this project was a critical part in my middle school education and in preparing for high school