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Multitasking among modern digital generations Y and Z
 
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Uniwersytet Marii Curie-Skłodowksiej
 
2
Uniwersytet Marii Curie-Skłodowskiej
 
 
Submission date: 2022-05-25
 
 
Acceptance date: 2022-11-07
 
 
Publication date: 2022-11-29
 
 
Corresponding author
Barbara Gawda   

Uniwersytet Marii Curie-Skłodowksiej
 
 
JoMS 2022;49(2):421-430
 
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ABSTRACT
Objectives:
The paper aimed to examine potential differences in attention and alternating capacities between two modern digital generations, i.e., Y and Z. Although these generations are described as different, generation Z is thought ro be multitasking, there is a lack of scientific research documenting these dissimilarities.

Material and methods:
The study involved a group of 408 participants (202 representing generation Y, and 206 representing generation Z). The experiment consisted of two parts, i.e., tasks measuring target detection attention capacities and alternating attention tasks.

Results:
Surprisingly, the results showed there are no significant differences in attentional capacities between these two modern digital generations. Generation Z is not more multitasking than generation Y.

Conclusions:
The similarities between these two generations raise questions about the philosophy of the concept of generations and about scientific evidence supporting the ideas of differentiation of generations. Our results are consistent with opinions concerning heterogeneity of IT/technological capacities among modern digital generations. The cognitive capacities of both generations are similar which was explained in line with critical opinions related to the philosophy and essence of the concept of generation differentiation.

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ISSN:1734-2031
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