My students and I at American University did a study in 2004-2005 of college-student multitasking while using IM. Two of the authors (Tim Clem and Brian Rabinovitz) presented the data at AOIR last year in Chicago. I've incorporated some of the data into a book chapter I've written, called "Adjusting the Volume: The Impact of Technology and Multitasking on Discourse Control". (The book, edited by James Katz, is still in press.) You can find an early draft of the chapter on my website, http://www.american.edu/lfs/tesol/baronhome.htm Best, Naomi Naomi S. Baron Professor of Linguistics American University Washington, DC 20016-8045 nbaron@american.edu