Motivation to comply with task rules and multitasking performance: The role of need for cognitive closure and goal importance

Ewa Szumowska,Arne Roets,Małgorzata Kossowska

doi:10.1007/s11031-018-9678-2

Ewa Szumowska, Arne Roets + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-018-9678-2

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Abstract

In three studies, we examined the role task rules play in multitasking performance. We postulated that rules should be especially important for individuals highly motivated to have structure and clear answers, i.e., those high on need for cognitive closure (NFC). High NFC should thus be related to greater compliance with task rules. Specifically, given high goal importance, NFC should be more strongly related to a multitasking strategy when multitasking is imposed by the rules, and to a mono-tasking strategy when monotasking is imposed by the rules. This should translate into better multitasking or mono-tasking performance, depending on condition. Overall, the results were supportive as NFC was related to a more mono-tasking strategy in the mono-tasking condition (Studies 1 and 2 only) and more dual-tasking strategy in the dual-tasking condition (Studies 1–3). This translated into respective differences in performance. The effects were significant only when goal importance was high (Study 1) and held when cognitive ability was controlled for (Study 2).

Highlights

Multitasking is ubiquitous and today, more than ever, individuals as well as groups and organizations must attend to multiple tasks simultaneously (Bühner et al 2006; Hambrick et al 2010; Waller 2007)
The aim of this study was to test whether compliance with task rules mediated the relationship between need for cognitive closure (NFC) and multitasking performance depending on task rules and goal importance
We expected that strategy used in the task would be significantly predicted by the three-way interaction in a way that high NFC would lead to more priority given to the searching task in the mono-tasking condition and more distributed attention between the two tasks in the dual-tasking condition, but only when goal importance was high

Summary

Introduction

Multitasking is ubiquitous and today, more than ever, individuals as well as groups and organizations must attend to multiple tasks simultaneously (Bühner et al 2006; Hambrick et al 2010; Waller 2007). Whether people engage in multitasking and how they perform depends on one’s ability or motivation, and on contextual factors. The role of the latter has not gained much attention in the research on predictors of multitasking performance. This issue has been recently raised in the literature on polychronicity, or the preference for multitasking (see König and Waller 2010, for overview). For years this variable has been treated as equivalent to multitasking behavior (e.g. Hall 1959) but recently

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