If one or more tasks are capable of being automated as reflexes, then they can easily be engaged simultaneously with another task without much consequence. This is the classic “walking while chewing gum.” Although the act of walking requires selective attention, the act of chewing under most circumstances does not demand cognitive control because it is performed reflexively. Given this, such an activity may not even qualify as an example of multitasking, since a reflexive action is not really a task.
