Spatial Memory Guides Task Resumption

Abstract

Previous research examining how people resume a task following an interruption has focused primarily on pure memory processes. In this paper, we focus on the perceptual processes underlying task resumption and show that spatial memory guides task resumption. In Experiment 1, fixation patterns suggest participants were able to resume remarkably close to where they were in the task prior to interruption. In Experiment 2, a spatial interruption disrupted resumption performance more than a non-spatial interrupting task. Together, these results implicate spatial memory as a mechanism for resumption.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2008
Accession Number
ADA480059

Entities

People

  • J. Gregory Trafton
  • Raj M. Ratwani

Organizations

  • United States Naval Research Laboratory

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Abstracts
  • Accuracy
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Cognitive Science
  • Data Displays
  • Electronic Messaging
  • Eye
  • Eye Movements
  • Human Factors Engineering
  • Information Processing
  • Intervals
  • Military Research
  • Psychology
  • Reaction Time
  • Rotation
  • Task Performance And Analysis
  • Universities

Fields of Study

  • Biology
  • Computer science
  • Psychology

Readers

  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery.
  • Vision Science/Vision Psychology/Cognitive Neuroscience.