This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting galley proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. AbstractVisual cues relating to an interrupted task can help people recover from workplace interruptions. However, it is unclear whether visual cues relating to their next steps in a primary task may help people manage interruptions. In a previous intensive care unit simulation study, Grundgeiger et al. (2013) found that nurses performing equipment checks were more likely to defer an interruption from a colleague if they could see the next steps of their task on the equipment screen. We abstracted some elements of the simulation study into a controlled laboratory study to test whether visual cues support interruption management.Participants' primary task was to verify a set of linked arithmetic equations presented on a computer page. From time to time, an animated virtual character interrupted the participant to mimic a social interruption, and the participant chose whether or not to defer a response to the 1 Present address: Michael Weng,