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Abstract

A postcompletion error occurs when the final step of a task is omitted because the main goal of the task is thought to be completed (Byrne & Bovair, 1997). Postcompletion errors are more likely to occur after interruptions (Ratwani, McCurry & Trafton, 2008). Global placekeeping cues (Gray, 2000) allow a user to track their progress in a task and may be a method for reducing the rate of postcompletion errors. A computer-based procedural task with a postcompletion step was used in this experiment to determine how the interaction of global placekeeping cues with interruptions would affect postcompletion errors. These results suggest that global placekeeping cues reduce the postcompletion error rate after interruptions, but that global placekeeping does not completely eliminate postcompletion errors.

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The Effect of Interruptions and Global Placekeeping on Postcompletion Error Rates

Abstract

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