Need for cognitive closure and attention allocation during multitasking: Evidence from eye-tracking studies

• Published in: Personality and individual differences Vol. 111; pp. 272 - 280
• Main Authors: Szumowska, Ewa, Kossowska, Małgorzata
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01-06-2017; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Attention; Cognition & reasoning; Cognitive ability; Cognitive closure; Divided attention; Eye movements; Eye-tracking; Focused and distributed attention; Multitasking; Need for closure; Task performance; Tracking; Uncertainty; Visual task performance; Need for closure; Multitasking; Divided attention; Focused and distributed attention; Eye-tracking; Attention
• ISSN: 0191-8869; 1873-3549
• DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2017.02.014

In two studies, we examine how need for cognitive closure (NFC), referring to an individual's tendency to reduce uncertainty via rigid processing style, relates to the way attentional resources are distributed while multitasking. Previous studies show that NFC is related to focused, rather than distributed, attention. High NFC individuals should thus process tasks serially rather than in parallel. That is, in order to maintain performance on an additional task, they would need to shift attentional focus to this task more often. Low NFC individuals, on the other hand, should be able to process both tasks in parallel, i.e. they would maintain performance on the additional task with fewer attentional shifts. To test our hypotheses, we asked participants to perform a main and additional task simultaneously. During task performance participants' eyes were tracked. In line with our predictions, the interest area analysis showed that NFC was related to more fixations and longer dwell time on the additional task. It was also associated with more runs to this task (Studies 1 and 2). The effects were stronger in difficult, compared to easy, condition (Study 2). The paper is the first one to directly test attention allocation during multitasking depending on NFC levels.
•Need for closure relates to differences in attention allocation while multitasking.•High NFC was associated with more shifts between tasks.•It was also related to more fixations and longer dwell time on the additional task.•More frequent shifts may make up for narrower focus of attention related to NFC.