Question

Conduct the following experiment on yourself and find out whether the division of attention is possible or not.

1. Task 1: Write alphabets from A to Z without any break for one minute. If you reach Z, then start with A up to Z again. Note your mistakes.
2. Task 2: Say aloud only the odd numbers like 1, 3, 5, 7, 9....and so on for one minute. Note your mistakes.
3. Task 3: Do Task 1 and Task 2 simultaneously for one minute i.e. write alphabets from A to Z and simultaneously say aloud only the odd numbers. Note your mistakes and conclude.

Answer 1

I observed that I could perform tasks 1 and 2 without making any mistake. But when I had to write alphabets while saying odd numbers aloud (task 3), I missed some numbers and made a mistake in the sequence of alphabets. It was easier to perform these tasks separately, as I could pay undivided attention to the task at hand. This shows that division of attention is not possible.