The Dual-Path Effects of Work Intrusion Frequency on Employees’ Behavioral Intentions: A Video-Based Experimental Study

Work interruptions are a common feature of modern organizational life, yet prior research has reached mixed conclusions regarding their consequences. While some studies emphasize the disruptive and resource-depleting nature of interruptions, others suggest that certain interruptions may facilitate coordination, relationship building, and cooperation. These inconsistent findings indicate that work interruptions may function as a “double-edged sword,” producing both negative and positive outcomes through different psychological mechanisms. However, causal evidence clarifying when and how these opposing effects occur remains limited. The purpose of the present research is to experimentally examine the causal effects of work interruption frequency on employees’ behavioral intentions toward a coworker, and to clarify the psychological processes underlying these effects. Drawing on a resource-based perspective, this study proposes two distinct pathways through which work interruptions influence behavior: a resource-loss pathway and a resource-gain pathway. Specifically, frequent work interruptions are expected to increase individuals’ perceived information overload, reflecting cognitive strain and resource depletion. In turn, heightened information overload is expected to increase avoidance behavior intentions toward the interrupting coworker, such as a desire to limit future interactions. This pathway captures the detrimental consequences of interruptions when they excessively tax employees’ limited attentional and cognitive resources. At the same time, not all interruptions are inherently harmful. In contexts where interruptions are infrequent, task-relevant, and communicated in a respectful manner, they may signal trust, reliance, and interpersonal appreciation. Such interruptions are expected to enhance perceived interpersonal closeness toward the coworker, reflecting a resource-gain process. Increased interpersonal closeness, in turn, is expected to promote helping behavior intentions, such as a willingness to assist the coworker in future work tasks. To test these propositions, the study employs an online, video-based scenario experiment with a between-subjects design. Participants with work experience will be randomly assigned to one of two conditions: low-frequency work interruption or high-frequency work interruption. In both conditions, participants will view a first-person workplace video depicting a realistic office setting in which a coworker (“Xiao Hu”) interrupts them with task-related requests. The two conditions differ only in the frequency and temporal density of these interruptions, allowing for a clean causal comparison. After viewing the video, participants will report their perceived information overload, perceived interpersonal closeness toward the coworker, and their intentions to engage in avoidance or helping behaviors. Demographic variables such as age and work tenure will also be collected. The expected outcomes of this research are threefold. First, it is anticipated that higher interruption frequency will lead to greater information overload and, indirectly, stronger avoidance intentions. Second, lower interruption frequency is expected to enhance interpersonal closeness and, indirectly, stronger helping intentions. Third, by demonstrating these dual pathways within a controlled experimental design, the study aims to provide clear causal evidence explaining why work interruptions can simultaneously produce harmful and beneficial effects. Overall, this project contributes to the work interruption literature by moving beyond a unidimensional view of interruptions as either “good” or “bad,” and instead elucidating the psychological mechanisms through which interruption frequency shapes divergent behavioral responses. The findings are expected to offer both theoretical insight and practical guidance for managing interpersonal interactions in contemporary workplaces.