Preparing to resume an interrupted task: effects of prospective goal encoding and retrospective rehearsal

We examine people’s strategic cognitive responses to being interrupted while performing a task. Based on memory theory, we propose that resumption of a task after interruption is facilitated by preparation during the interruption lag, or the interval between an alert to a pending interruption (e.g. the phone ringing) and the interruption proper (the ensuing conversation). To test this proposal, we conducted an experiment in which participants in a Warning condition received an 8-s interruption lag, and participants in an Immediate condition received no interruption lag. Participants in the Warning condition prepared more than participants in the Immediate condition, as measured by verbal reports, and resumed the interrupted task more quickly. However, Immediate participants resumed faster with practice, suggesting that people adapt to particularly disruptive forms of interruption. The results support our task analysis of interruption and our model of memory for goals, and suggest further means for studying operator performance in dynamic task environments. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.