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Using Peripheral Processing and Spatial Memory to Facilitate Task Resumption

Theories accounting for the process of primary task resumption following an interruption have focused on the suspension and retrieval of a specific goal (Altmann & Trafton, 2002). The ability to recall the spatial location of where in the task one was prior to being interrupted may also be important. We show that being able to maintain a spatial representation of the primary task facilitates task resumption. Participants were interrupted by an instant message window that either partially or fully occluded the primary task interface. Reaction time measures show that participants were faster at resuming in the partial occlusion condition. In addition, eye track data suggest that participants were more accurate at returning to where they left off, suggesting that they were able to maintain a spatial representation of the task and use this information to resume more quickly.