<P> Another study by René Marois, a psychologist at Vanderbilt University, discovered that the brain exhibits a "response selection bottleneck" when asked to perform several tasks at once . The brain must then decide which activity is most important, thereby taking more time . Psychologist David Meyer of the University of Michigan claims that, instead of a "bottleneck," the brain experiences "adaptive executive control" which places priorities on each activity . These viewpoints differ in that while bottlenecking attempts to force many thoughts through the brain at once, adaptive executive control prioritizes tasks to maintain a semblance of order . The brain better understands this order and, as psychologists such as Dr. Meyer believe, can, therefore, be trained to multitask . It is not known exactly how the brain processes input and reacts to overstimulation . </P> <P> Some research suggests that the human brain can be trained to multitask . A study published in Child Development by Monica Luciana, associate professor of psychology at the University of Minnesota, discovered that the brain's capability of categorizing competing information continues to develop until ages sixteen and seventeen . A study by Vanderbilt University found that multitasking is largely limited by "the speed with which our prefrontal cortex processes information ." Paul E. Dux, the co-author of the study, believes that this process can become faster through proper training . The study trained seven people to perform two simple tasks, either separately or together and conducted brain scans of the participants . The individuals multitasked poorly at first but, with training, were able to adeptly perform the tasks simultaneously . Brain scans of the participants indicate that the prefrontal cortex quickened its ability to process the information, enabling the individuals to multitask more efficiently . However, the study also suggests that the brain is incapable of performing multiple tasks at one time, even after extensive training . This study further indicates that, while the brain can become adept at processing and responding to certain information, it cannot truly multitask . </P> <P> People have a limited ability to retain information, which worsens when the amount of information increases . For this reason people alter information to make it more memorable, such as separating a ten - digit phone number into three smaller groups or dividing the alphabet into sets of three to five letters . George Miller, former psychologist at Harvard University, believes the limits to the human brain's capacity centers around "the number seven, plus or minus two ." An illustrative example of this is a test in which a person must repeat numbers read aloud . While two or three numbers are easily repeated, fifteen numbers become more difficult . The person would, on average, repeat seven correctly . Brains are only capable of storing a limited amount of information in their short - term memories . </P> <P> Laboratory - based studies of multi-tasking indicate that one motivation for switching between tasks is to increase the time spent on the task that produces the most reward (Payne, Duggan & Neth, 2007). This reward could be progress towards an overall task goal, or it could simply be the opportunity to pursue a more interesting or fun activity . Payne, Duggan and Neth (2007) found that decisions to switch task reflected either the reward provided by the current task or the availability of a suitable opportunity to switch (i.e. the completion of a subgoal). A French fMRI study published in 2010 indicated preliminary support for the hypothesis that the brain can pursue at most two goals simultaneously, one for each frontal lobe (which has a goal - oriented area). </P>

What part of the brain allows you to multitask