Science: Distractions Double Mistakes

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This Scientific American article shares research on how even tiny distractions, like glancing down at a cellphone, can have huge consequences like doubling the rate of making mistakes.

"Though the distractions took only three seconds and weren't difficult tasks, students lost their places or made mistakes twice as often after those distractions as they did without interruptions. The distractions were so brief that they couldn't have caused people to actually forget the tasks they were doing, losing them from short-term memory. Rather, Altmann hypothesizes that the demands of switching attention, no matter how briefly, take mental energy that would otherwise have gone toward the task."