ENG 122 5-2 First Draft of the Critical Analysis Essays

ENG 122 5-2 First Draft of the Critical Analysis Essays

5-2 Assignment – First Draft of the Critical Analysis Essay

“The High Price of Multitasking” by Daniel T. Willingham discusses the many dangers and

downfalls of consciously and unconsciously multitasking while driving. As the music plays or

the conversation becomes heated a driver is only partially paying attention to the road ahead of

them and anything could happen. Willingham discusses how many different places have

concluded that multitasking while driving can be dangerous as well as ways to avoid

multitasking and lessen the risks and or dangers that can come from it. Ultimately, the articles

main claim of multitasking being dangerous is effective because it states the laws of multiple

states and countries, identifies the multiple ways people multitask, and references several

different studies on multitasking.

We all multitask but do we know the dangers? Daniel T. Willingham (2019) begins his

article by stating that smartphones provide unprecedented access to both information and

opportunities to multitask. He then goes on to talk about how forty-eight states have banned the

use of texting and driving, how Honolulu has banned looking at a smart device while crossing a

street, and how in the Netherlands biking and texting have been banned (Willingham, 2019).

These facts help to put into perspective just how bad multitasking can be, but they don’t cover all

forms of multitasking. When a person gets into their vehicle what is the first thing they do?

Many people turn on their radio or even Bluetooth to listen to music, some make phone calls to

let another person know they are on their way, and others may just start texting. These may seem

like harmless little things but switching between two things simultaneously can affect our

performance (Willingham, 2019).

In a classic study using digit-letter pairs it was found that when switching from one task

to another performance slowed because switching through tasks involves more steps