Failures Due to Interruptions or Distractions: A Review and a New Framework

Abstract

GeorGe a. MiChaeL Laboratoire d'étude des Mécanismes Cognitifs, université de Lyon interruptions of ongoing activities have spread since the development of and global increase in technology use and the general speeding in pace we all experience every day. their negative effects are well known: decline in performance and emotional distress. however, the literature still needs to shed light on the exact cognitive mechanisms involved in the way users decide to reply to an interruption, on the effects of interruptions of different durations, and on factors influencing reactivation of task schemata and goals at resumption. therefore, the aim of this article is to review the existing literature and models, uncover unresolved challenges, and propose new ways to confront them. we first review the substantive findings of recent decades from different domains (human-computer interaction, cognitive and experimental psychology, ergonomics), and their respective methodological and theoretical contributions. then we propose a general and operationalized definition of an interruption; review the different cognitive models of attention, executive control, and working memory that best explain the impact of interruptions; describe current challenges and questions that remain open for future studies; and finally propose an integrative research framework, the detour, which clarifies the cognitive processes at play during interruptions. we believe this work can directly affect the current state of the art, leading to new fundamental studies and applied solutions for the management of interruptions.

The Physical Learning Environment of Online Distance Learners in Higher Education – A Conceptual Model

“…Interruptions can increase perceived workload and impair a learner's performance of cognitive tasks (e.g., slowing the task down immediately after the interruption, van de Poll and Sörqvist, 2016; forgetting to carry out a task, Terras and Ramsay, 2012). It is harder for people to resume their original task when the interruption is long or there is little opportunity to rehearse the task goal during the interruption (Monk et al, 2008; review by Couffe and Michael, 2017).…”

Interruption in the work of nursing professionals: conceptual analysis

“…Keeping attention and concentration on the performance of a particular task ensures the maintenance of cognitive resources during execution. Switching between tasks demands complex resources, affecting the performance and final result (48) . Thus, minimizing disruption events can contribute to safer patient care.…”

“…Interruptions affect cognitive ability, diverting the focus of information from the activity in progress due to an intrusion of a secondary task. Consequently, diverted attention predisposes to omissions and errors (48) . Cognitive overload can affect the accuracy and performance of tasks, resulting in longer completion time, which can result in damage to the patient's treatment (48) .…”

Playing smartphone games while studying: an experimental study on reading interruptions by a smartphone game

“…Interruptions are generally detrimental to the interrupted task (Couffe & Michael, 2017;Trafton & Monk, 2007). However, the 'costs' to the main task differ between internally and externally generated interruptions.…”