ATTENTION / 2011
Brief switches during a long task.
Occasional recall interruptions prevented the vigilance decline observed when recall was left until the end.
METHODVisual vigilance experiment
SAMPLESample size not stated in the linked abstract
EXPOSURESustained task with occasional digit recall
The limits matter.
A specific task-switching experiment. It does not establish an optimal focus-timer duration or a universal break schedule.
A practical connection.
Our timer lets you create a boundary. The 25-minute preset is a convenience, not a duration established by this experiment.
Set a focus sessionBrief and rare mental “breaks” keep you focused: deactivation and reactivation of task goals preempt vigilance decrements
Ariga & Lleras · 2011 · Cognition
DOI 10.1016/j.cognition.2010.12.007
Source checked 2026-10-05. Numerical entries are extracted published summaries, not participant-level data. No product efficacy claim is made.