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Review Paper | Psychology | Volume 15 Issue 7, July 2026 | Pages: 494 - 502 | India
Executive Functions, Digital Multitasking, and Study Habits in Adolescents: A Narrative Review of Cognitive and Educational Research
Abstract: Contemporary adolescents study in environments saturated with smartphones, social media notifications, and competing digital demands, raising the question of how this constant multitasking interacts with the cognitive systems that support learning. This narrative review synthesises cognitive and educational psychology research addressing how executive functions working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility relate to digital multitasking behaviour and learning outcomes in adolescents. Drawing on the unity-and-diversity model of executive functions (Miyake et al., 2000; Diamond, 2013) and foundational work on media multitasking (Ophir, Nass, & Wagner, 2009), the review traces how cognitive load theory (Sweller, 1988) and capacity models of attention (Kahneman, 1973) explain why dividing attention across devices and study tasks degrades encoding and retention. The review further examines individual differences in susceptibility to distraction, the persistent gap between adolescents' confidence in their own multitasking ability and their actual performance, and the limited evidence available from Indian and South Asian student populations. Evidence-based study strategies including retrieval practice, distributed practice, and single-tasking are evaluated as practical responses grounded in this cognitive evidence rather than in popular but unsupported study advice.
Keywords: Executive Functions, Digital Multitasking, Adolescents, Cognitive Load, Study Habits, Academic Learning
How to Cite?: Ananya Kumar, "Executive Functions, Digital Multitasking, and Study Habits in Adolescents: A Narrative Review of Cognitive and Educational Research", Volume 15 Issue 7, July 2026, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), Pages: 494-502, https://www.ijsr.net/getabstract.php?paperid=SR26702200601, DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.21275/SR26702200601