Multiple Resource Theory

Abstract

SynonymsMental resources; Resource limitations DefinitionThe Multiple Resource Theory asserts that people have a limited set of resources available for mental processes. These resources can be thought of as a pool of energy that is used for a variety of mental operations, from sensory-level processing to meaning-level processing. This shared pool of resources are allocated across different tasks, modalities, and processing. This theory explains how difficult single-tasks can run into processing difficulties and how dual-task performance is more likely to be hampered by performing similar tasks than dissimilar tasks. Multiple resource theory has been applied in psychology to areas such as dual-task performance as well as applied areas such as communication to understand how people make sense of television messages and in consumer research to understand how people process information about a product. Theoretical BackgroundOne of the most fundamental ...