Temperamental Factors in the Execution of Interrupted Editing Tasks

Abstract

The question investigated in this study i s how the temperament traits of strength of excitation (S E) , strength of inhibition (S I) , and mobility (M O) affect behaviour during the execution of computer tasks and tasks interrupting them. Several hypotheses, partly derived from the regulative theory of temperament, were tested in an experiment in which the natural environment and the types of task commonly performed by secretaries were simulated. The sample consisted of 39 female secretaries (2 1 6 4 years old). It was found that individuals high on SE and MO needed less time to resume tasks after an interruption than individuals low on these temperament traits. Interruptions similar to the main task resulted in longer resumption times for low-SE individuals. MO was negatively related to the time needed to perform the main task. A model describing the relationship between the frequency of switches between tasks and the speed of task performance in low-MO and high-MO individuals is presented.

Temperament: Measurement and Impact on Consumer Behavior

“…Moving from one aisle to the next requires ending one's observation of the previous aisle and adapting to a new environment. These results are in accordance with those of Van den Berg et al (1996), which indicate that secretaries who have a well developed mobility trait move quickly from one task to another after an interruption, and that they are capable of focusing their attention more quickly on a specific part of a given task.…”

“…This requires tenacity on the part of the user along with the capacity to pick up an interrupted task. These results are coherent with those of Van den Berg et al (1996), which showed that secretaries with a strong capacity to react to stimuli (strength of excitation) take less time to go on with an interrupted activity and perform better in managing numerous interruptions. Furthermore, queuing at the checkout correlates negatively with endurance-fatigue and positively with reactivity.…”

Examining conscientiousness as a key resource in resisting email interruptions: Implications for volatile resources and goal achievement

“…Reflecting previous work on the trade-off in goal-directed behaviour (ten Brummelhuis & Bakker, 2012;Grandey & Cropanzano, 1999;Greenhaus & Beutell, 1985;Halbesleben et al, 2009;Ilies et al, 2007), we proposed (hypotheses 4 and 5) that Conscientious people, when faced with an email interruption, adopt an email-resistance strategy to protect current task achievement goals, even though this may be at the expense of their well-being goals (Hockey, 1997(Hockey, , 2000(Hockey, , 2002. However, this proposition was only partly realized.…”

Classifying computer-mediated communication (CMC) interruptions at work using control as a key delineator

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