Individual differences in visuo-spatial working memory capacity and prior knowledge during interrupted reading

Abstract

Interruptions are often pervasive and require attentional shifts from the primary task. Limited data are available on the factors influencing individuals' efficiency in resuming from interruptions during digital reading. The reported investigation—conducted using the InteRead dataset—examined whether individual differences in visuo-spatial working memory capacity (vsWMC) and prior knowledge could influence resumption lag times during interrupted reading. Participants' vsWMC capacity was assessed using the symmetry span (SSPAN) task, while a pre-test questionnaire targeted their background knowledge about the text. While reading an extract from a Sherlock Holmes story, they were interrupted six times and asked to answer an opinion question. Our analyses revealed that the interaction between vsWMC and prior knowledge significantly predicted the time needed to resume reading following an interruption. The results from our analyses are discussed in relation to theoretical frameworks of task resumption and current research in the field.