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Toward a Unified Theory of the Multitasking Continuum: From Concurrent Performance to Task Switching, Interruption, and Resumption
Conference proceeding

Toward a Unified Theory of the Multitasking Continuum: From Concurrent Performance to Task Switching, Interruption, and Resumption

Dario D. Salvucci, Niels A. Taatgen and Jelmer P. Borst
CHI2009: PROCEEDINGS OF THE 27TH ANNUAL CHI CONFERENCE ON HUMAN FACTORS IN COMPUTING SYSTEMS, VOLS 1-4, pp 1819-1828
01 Jan 2009

Abstract

Business & Economics Computer Science Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence Computer Science, Information Systems Computer Science, Theory & Methods Information Science & Library Science Management Science & Technology Social Issues Social Sciences Technology
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.

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Web of Science research areas
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence
Computer Science, Information Systems
Computer Science, Theory & Methods
Information Science & Library Science
Management
Social Issues
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