Abstract

The preponderance of evidence in the literature suggests that intermittent tasks reduce productivity and quality of work. In a task switching study, with intermittent tasks appearing once a minute or once every three minutes, we examined attention allocation and the effect of switching on the quantity and novelty of work. Self-reported estimates matched attention allocation obtained from eye fixations, indicating awareness and volitional control of attention. Arousal, quantity, and novelty of work were higher in the switching conditions in comparison to the single task condition. The findings point to the possibility of a quickening effect induced by switching that may be beneficial for work under specific task conditions.

摘要

文献中的大量证据表明，间歇性任务会降低工作效率和工作质量。在一项任务转换研究中，间歇性任务每分钟出现一次或每三分钟出现一次，我们检查了注意力分配以及转换对工作数量和新颖性的影响。自我报告的估计与从注视获得的注意力分配相匹配，表明注意力的意识和意志控制。与单一任务条件相比，切换条件下工作的唤醒、数量和新颖性更高。研究结果表明，切换可能会产生加速效应，这可能对特定任务条件下的工作有益。