Studying the impact of interruptions on attentional and working memory performance in younger and older adults by means of the EEG

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Interruptions in a cognitive task are among the most stressful factors in modern working environments. A better understanding of the neurocognitive basis for processing interruptions is therefore of great importance from a psychological and ergonomic perspective. Interruptions are characterized by a temporary suspension of a primary task, which is accompanied by the processing of a secondary task. From a cognitive-psychological point of view, a change of the focus of attention within working memory between a primary task and the interruption task is therefore necessary. The current research project thus focuses on the investigation of correlates of working memory processes in the context of interruptions, as measured by electroencephalography (EEG). Furthermore, a comparison between younger (18-30 years) and older subjects (55-70 years), based on known age-related deficits in attentional control functions, will provide more precise information about the relevance of these processes in the processing of interruptions. In all planned experiments, a visual working memory task will be interrupted by a secondary task in a random sequence. Since only the primary task is based on the lateral presentation of visual stimuli, hemispheric asymmetries in the EEG signal (e.g. in the power of oscillations in the alpha frequency range - 8-14 Hz) can be clearly assigned to the processing of the primary task due to the contralateral organization of the visual system. Furthermore, modulations of fronto-central theta power (4-7 Hz) are used as correlates of executive control processes when switching between primary and interruption tasks. The first three experiments focus on the investigation of working memory processes in the context of interruptions and their interaction with known task-specific influencing factors (similarity of primary and interruption task; temporal flexibility when resuming the primary task; possibility to prepare for the interruption). The importance of attentional and executive cognitive functions in the processing of interruptions and related experimental effects should become increasingly apparent at an older age, when these functions are typically impaired. Finally, in the fourth experiment an experimental paradigm is used that is oriented on a real work situation in a hospital (a working memory task requiring the assignment of tablets to patient names). The results obtained therefore offer a higher ecological validity and thus increase the relevance of the findings obtained in the overall project for operational practice.