Resuming a Dynamic Task Following Increasingly Long Interruptions: The Role of Working Memory and Reconstruction

Abstract

Studies examining individual differences in interruption recovery have shown that higher working memory capacity (WMC) attenuated the negative impact of interruption length on resumption, at least in static contexts. In continuously evolving (or dynamic) situations, however, working memory may not be as central to the effective resumption of a task, especially in the case of long interruptions. One of the main theories of task interruption suggests that dynamic task resumption could depend on a reconstruction of the primary task context, that is, a visual examination of the post-interruption environment. To better define the role of working memory and reconstruction processes in interruption recovery, the current study examined the association between (1) dynamic task resumption following interruptions of various lengths and (2) two cognitive abilities chosen to operationalize the processes under study, namely, WMC and visual search capacity. Participants performed a multiple object tracking task which could be uninterrupted or interrupted for 5, 15, or 30 s while the hidden stimuli continued their trajectory. They also completed tasks measuring the two cognitive abilities of interest. The results revealed that WMC contributed to post-interruption accuracy regardless of interruption duration. On the contrary, visual search capacity was related to faster resumption in the 15-s and 30-s interruption conditions only. Those results show that working memory plays a preponderant role in resumption not only in static, but also in dynamic contexts. However, our study suggests that this mechanism must share the limelight with reconstruction following lengthy interruptions in dynamic settings.

Interruption in visual search: a systematic review

“…The impact of interruptions on search resumption was influenced by the nature of the interrupting event. Longer ( Labonté and Vachon, 2021 ) and more difficult ( Brazzolotto and Michael, 2020 ) interruptions significantly delayed the resumption time compared to shorter or simpler ones. Similarly, interruptions involving emotionally charged stimuli extended resumption time more than neutral interruptions ( Brazzolotto and Michael, 2021 ).…”

“…A majority of research in artificial environments (10/18) was conducted with the task of identifying a specific letter among distractors ( Lleras et al, 2005 , 2007 ; Beck et al, 2006 ; Van Zoest et al, 2007 ; Jungé et al, 2009 ; Lleras and Enns, 2009 ; Thomas and Lleras, 2009 ; Höfler et al, 2011 ; Godwin et al, 2013 ; Mereu et al, 2014 ). Furthermore, five of the studies asked participants to identify a target shape ( Olds et al, 2000a , b , c , 2001 ; Olds and Punambolam, 2002 ) while one study each explored finding a picture ( Alonso et al, 2021 ), categorizing numbers ( Ratwani and Trafton, 2008 ) and tracking multiple objects ( Labonté and Vachon, 2021 ). In contrast to the more homogenous distribution of search tasks in studies conducted in artificial environments, natural environment search tasks exhibited greater heterogeneity.…”

“…Regarding the interruption aftermath, in most of the studies conducted in artificial environments (13/18), participants typically were allowed to continue their search after an interruption without needing to complete additional tasks ( Olds et al, 2000a , b , c , 2001 ; Olds and Punambolam, 2002 ; Lleras et al, 2005 , 2007 ; Van Zoest et al, 2007 ; Jungé et al, 2009 ; Lleras and Enns, 2009 ; Thomas and Lleras, 2009 ; Godwin et al, 2013 ; Mereu et al, 2014 ). However, in three studies, participants were required to perform another task following the interruption before they could resume their search ( Ratwani and Trafton, 2008 ; Alonso et al, 2021 ; Labonté and Vachon, 2021 ). Additionally, in two instances where the interruption marked the end of the search, a further task followed the interruption ( Beck et al, 2006 ; Höfler et al, 2011 ).…”

“…When we assessed whether the interruption event was considered a task or not, we observed that 14 studies did not involve a task as the interruption ( Olds et al, 2000a , 2000b , 2000c , 2001 ; Olds and Punambolam, 2002 ; Lleras et al, 2005 , 2007 ; Van Zoest et al, 2007 ; Jungé et al, 2009 ; Lleras and Enns, 2009 ; Thomas and Lleras, 2009 ; Godwin et al, 2013 ; Mereu et al, 2014 ; Rieger et al, 2021 ); and all but one of these studies ( Rieger et al, 2021 ) were conducted in artificial environments. In contrast, in the 13 studies where the interruption was a task, five were conducted in artificial environments ( Beck et al, 2006 ; Ratwani and Trafton, 2008 ; Höfler et al, 2011 ; Alonso et al, 2021 ; Labonté and Vachon, 2021 ) and eight in natural ones ( Rice and Trafimow, 2012 ; Williams and Drew, 2017 ; Drew et al, 2018 ; Wynn et al, 2018 ; Brazzolotto and Michael, 2020 , 2021 ; Radović et al, 2022 ; Nachtnebel et al, 2023 ). Within these 13 studies, two involved interrupting event tasks that were directly related to the interrupted search, requiring participants to use information obtained during the incomplete search to complete their tasks ( Beck et al, 2006 ; Rice and Trafimow, 2012 ) whereas the tasks in the remaining nine studies were search-unrelated.…”

Experiential and Cognitive Predictors of Sight-Singing Performance in Music Higher Education

“…A widespread example of a complex span task is the operation span (or OSpan), in which participants have to recall letters in serial order while making arithmetical judgments (e.g., Unsworth et al, 2005 ). For many complex tasks, a higher WMC is associated with better performance: for instance, reading complicated texts online ( Schurer et al, 2020 ), recalling visual material in the presence of irrelevant sound ( Hughes et al, 2013 ), resuming interrupted dynamic tasks ( Labonté & Vachon, 2021 ), executing complex attacks in volleyball ( Bisagno & Morra, 2018 ), or piloting planes ( Cak et al, 2020 ). However, high-WMC individuals do not outperform their low-WMC counterparts in every context.…”