Wearable devices: A physiological and self-regulatory intervention for increasing attention in the workplace

Abstract

Despite stress associated with work overload, employees are still expected to maintain attentional focus and generate new knowledge. However, attention in the work environment is a scarce resource making completing tasks under stress increasingly difficult. There are few technological interventions used in the IS literature targeted at both decreasing stress and increasing attention. Wearable device technologies may facilitate such processes due to their ability to collect real-time physiological measures and cue individuals at moments when they should take action. Self-regulation theories consider attentional resources and cognitive processes used to consciously control performance, thoughts, and the recognition of emotions. However, stressors reduce the availability of attentional resources, where maximum attention only occurs during moderate levels of physiological arousal. We examine both cognitive and physiological paths affecting attentional processes and propose a technology-mediated intervention to study these effects.