ABSTRACT

An increasing number of college students are continuously connected to media and their mobile devices even while in class or doing other activities. Research has shown some negative effects of this constant connectivity on neurotypical people including reduced learning, and this article examines the prediction that characteristics associated with autism may moderate this relationship. In this study, 179 undergraduate students at a large public university in the U.S. completed a survey asking them to self-report characteristics related to autism using the Autism-spectrum Quotient (AQ). The survey also measured multitasking (related and unrelated to schoolwork) during class and while doing homework, time-spent studying, and their Grade Point Average (GPA). Results showed that students who reported participating in unrelated multitasking while doing homework had lower GPA and spent more time studying than those who did not multitask. This effect was strongest for males, and for individuals who reported at least some neurodiverse characteristics. Future research and practical considerations are discussed.

摘要

越来越多的大学生即使在上课或进行其他活动时也会持续使用媒体和移动设备。研究表明，这种持续的连通性对神经正常人群有一些负面影响，包括学习能力下降，本文检验了与自闭症相关的特征可能会缓和这种关系的预测。在这项研究中，美国一所大型公立大学的 179 名本科生完成了一项调查，要求他们使用自闭症谱系商数 (AQ) 自我报告与自闭症相关的特征。该调查还衡量了在课堂上和做家庭作业时的多任务处理（与功课相关和无关）、学习时间以及他们的平均绩点 (GPA)。结果显示，报告说在做家庭作业时参与不相关的多任务处理的学生 GPA 较低，并且比没有进行多任务处理的学生花费更多的时间学习。这种影响对男性以及至少报告了一些神经多样性特征的个体最为强烈。讨论了未来的研究和实际考虑。