Title
Focused, Aroused, but so Distractible: Temporal Perspectives on Multitasking and Communications
Abstract
A common assumption in studies of interruptions is that one is focused in an activity and then distracted by other stimuli. We take the reverse perspective and examine whether one might first be in an attentional state that makes one susceptible to communications typically associated with distraction. We explore the confluence of multitasking and workplace communications from three temporal perspectives -- prior to an interaction, when tasks and communications are interleaved, and at the end of the day. Using logging techniques and experience sampling, we observed 32 employees in situ for five days. We found that certain attentional states lead people to be more susceptible to particular types of interaction. Rote work is followed by more Facebook or face-to-face interaction. Focused and aroused states are followed by more email. The more time in email and face-fo-face interaction, and the more total screen switches, the less productive people feel at the day's end. We present the notion of emotional homeostasis along with new directions for multitasking research.
Year
DOI
Venue
2015
10.1145/2675133.2675221
CSCW
Keywords
Field
DocType
group and organization interfaces,email,miscellaneous,interruptions,face-to-face interaction,facebook,multitasking,productivity,face to face interaction
Distraction,Reverse perspective,Computer science,Experience sampling method,Human–computer interaction,Human multitasking,Face-to-face interaction
Conference
Citations 
PageRank 
References 
14
0.59
15
Authors
4
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Gloria Mark12006178.23
Shamsi T. Iqbal2110565.77
Mary Czerwinski35028421.65
Paul Johns436126.16