Mental workload variations during different cognitive office tasks with social media interruptions

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health Psychology
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Social media (SM) interruptions are a common workplace issue impacting employee performance and well-being.
• Understanding the effects of these interruptions on mental workload (MWL) and physiological responses is critical for optimizing work environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of social media interruptions and task cognitive levels on mental workload and physiological indicators.
• To analyze how task complexity influences the effects of SM interruptions on MWL and physiological responses.

Main Methods:

• Participants performed simulated computer tasks varying in cognitive level and interruption conditions.
• Mental workload was assessed using perceived workload (questionnaires), physiological indexes (heart rate, LF/HF ratio, skin conductance), and primary task performance.
• Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine the significance of SM interruptions and task cognitive level effects.

Main Results:

• Social media interruptions significantly affected heart rate, LF/HF ratio, and skin conductance.
• Task cognitive level also had significant main effects on LF/HF ratio and skin conductance.
• The negative impacts of SM interruptions on physiological measures were more pronounced during higher cognitive load tasks.
• Participants reported higher MWL and showed lower primary task performance on knowledge-based tasks compared to rule- and skill-based tasks.

Conclusions:

• Social media interruptions exacerbate mental workload and alter physiological stress responses in the workplace.
• The cognitive demands of a task amplify the detrimental effects of SM interruptions.
• Implementing strategies to manage SM interruptions is essential for safeguarding employee health, enhancing performance, and informing mobile application design.