Toward a unified theory of the multitasking continuum: from concurrent performance to task switching, interruption, and resumpti

Multitasking in user behavior can be represented along a continuum in terms of the time spent on one task before switching to another. In this paper, we present a theory of behavior along the multitasking continuum, from concurrent tasks with rapid switching to sequential tasks with longer time between switching. Our theory unifies several theoretical effects -- the ACT-R cognitive architecture, the threaded cognition theory of concurrent multitasking, and the memory-for-goals theory of interruption and resumption -to better understand and predict multitasking behavior. We outline the theory and discuss how it accounts for numerous phenomena in the recent empirical literature. Author Keywords Multitasking, attention, interruption, cognitive architecture. ACM Classification Keywords H.5.2 [Information Interfaces and Presentation] User

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2009
• Where: CHI
• Authors: Dario D. Salvucci, Niels Taatgen, Jelmer P. Borst
• Keywords: CHI 2009, Concurrent Multitasking, Human Computer Interaction, Multitasking Continuum, Threaded Cognition Theory