Motivational rigidity enhances multitasking performance: The role of handling interruptions

- Need for closure is related to lower engagement in task irrelevant interruptions.
- It enhances multitasking performance thanks to better focalization on task goal.
- This focalization might compensate for differences related to need for closure.

In two studies we test the role motivational rigidity, i.e., need for cognitive closure (NFC), plays in handling task irrelevant interruptions and multitasking performance. We assumed that, although related to rigid cognitive style, NFC may enhance multitasking performance thanks to better focalization on the main task goal. We thus predicted that NFC would be related to lower engagement in tasks unrelated to the main task goal and thereby to a better performance on multiple tasks. The results supported our hypotheses as it turned out that NFC was negatively related to the number of responses to task irrelevant interruptions and positively to multitasking performance in Study 1. Study 2 additionally showed that there was a positive indirect effect of NFC on multitasking performance mediated by lower engagement in interruption tasks. This effect was significant for difficult but not easy tasks supporting previous findings that interruptions are more disruptive for complex rather than simple tasks. The results suggest that better focalization on the main task goal and lower engagement in interruptions might be the mechanism responsible for enhanced multitasking performance exhibited at times by highly rigid individuals.