Tasks interrupted: How anticipating time pressure on resumption of an interrupted task causes attention residue and low performance on interrupting tasks and how a 'ready-to-resume' plan mitigates the effects

摘要

Work interruptions are common. Interruptions demand time and attention and may cause loss of productivity. The authors argues that interruptions benefit interrupting tasks because their demands are attended to without delay. It also implies that people can easily and adequately address interrupting demands. Hence, the focus of the article is how interruptions affect attention and performance on interrupting tasks. It examines features of the task context that exacerbate or mitigate attention residue and performance decrements on interrupting tasks. In particular, the article examines how (a) anticipated time pressure upon return to the interrupted work and (b) planning for that return, influence (a) attention residue and (b) performance on the interrupting task. It is hypothesized that a simple ready-to-resume intervention can facilitate attention transition and thus allow individuals to perform interrupting tasks more effectively. The conclusions is individuals plan their return to the interrupted task before they switch to the interrupting task and this can mitigate attention residue and enhance performance on the interrupting task. Four complementary studies are used to test the theoretical predictions. Two focus on how anticipating time pressure on resumption of the interrupted task leads to greater attention residue and lower performance on the interrupting task. The other two investigate experimentally whether the ready-to-resume intervention mitigates the detrimental effects of anticipated time pressure on attention residue and performance.