Digital Multitasking and Self-Perceived Working Memory and Attention in First-Year Medical Students

Digital multitasking during academic activities is increasingly common in medical education, prompting concerns about its association with core cognitive functions such as working memory and sustained attention. This study examined the relationship between digital multitasking behaviors and self-perceived cognitive performance among first-year medical students. A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based survey was administered to Year 1 students at a private medical school in Malaysia (n = 64), assessing multitasking frequency and duration, types of digital activities, self-perceived working memory, sustained attention, mindful awareness, and attitudes toward multitasking. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize multitasking habits, while correlations and regression analyses evaluated associations with cognitive outcomes. Most students reported frequent multitasking during lectures and independent study, mainly involving social media use, instant messaging, and web browsing. Multitasking frequency demonstrated a statistically significant positive association with self-perceived working memory scores (r = 0.324, p = 0.009), explaining approximately 21% of the variance in regression analysis. In contrast, no significant association was observed between multitasking frequency and sustained attention (p = 0.384). Score distributions indicated substantial variability in perceived working memory across individuals, whereas sustained attention scores were more uniformly clustered. In summary, higher multitasking frequency was associated with higher self-perceived working memory but not sustained attention among first-year medical students. These findings highlight the complex and domain-specific nature of multitasking in educational contexts and suggest that subjective cognitive effects may diverge across cognitive domains. Future work incorporating objective performance-based measures is needed to clarify the educational and cognitive implications of digital multitasking in medical training.