Here's a PDF I found that could be a good starting point: http://interruptions.net/literature/Wijekumar-ASIST05.pdf http://interruptions.net/literature/Wijekuma

Here's a PDF I found that could be a good starting point: http://interruptions.net/literature/Wijekumar-ASIST05.pdf http://interruptions.net/literature/Wijekumar-ASIST05.pdf It mentions a nearly-200 page document by Corragio that delves into the effects of interruption in what he calls "Knoweledge Workers". If you read his definition of the term, I am not sure that it applies to programmers. Besides, I am not sure that I can get someone interested in reading a 200 page dissertation. It seems that searching for "Interruption and Distraction Theories" could be a better road to take with Google. We'll see...