Effects of cognitive style and curiosity on multitasking.

摘要

The study utilized a quantitative approach to investigate whether Curiosity in individuals and Cognitive Style -- that is, the Verbalizer, and Visualizer component -- influences humans' informational and technological multitasking behaviors. It tests Spink and Park's 2005 model of multitasking and task-switching behavior, which suggests that Cognitive Styles, Visual cues, and level of interest influence people's multitasking behaviors. It uses Childers, Houston, and Heckler's (1985) Style of Processing Scale (SOP) and Kashdan, Rose, and Fincham's (2009) Curiosity and Exploration Inventory (CEI-II) to measure Cognitive Styles and Curiosity, respectively. Nass, Ophir, and Wagner's (2009) instrument has been adapted for measuring multitasking amongst 319 respondents to a Web-based survey. Results indicate that people generally multitask with information and technology tasks and also suggest that Curiosity is more likely to influence people's multitasking behaviors than the Verbalizer component of Cognitive Styles. Visualizers are more likely to multitask more with technology than with Information tasks.