Now, Where Was I. Examining the Perceptual Processes while Resuming an Interrupted Task.

摘要

Several empirical papers have demonstrated that interruptions are disruptive and that after being interrupted it takes some time to resume the primary task. This study examined the cognitive processes, specifically at the perceptual level, that were used to resume a task after being interrupted. Eye movement data showed that participants were able to use spatial memory to return to the general area where they were interrupted. This spatial heuristic was used for interruptions that occurred both early and late in the primary task, however, participants were more imprecise when returning to the task after a late interruption.