Modeling task immersion based on goal activation mechanism

Immersion in a task is a pre-requisite for creativity. However, excessive arousal in a single task has drawbacks, such as overlooking events outside of the task. To examine such a negative aspect, this study constructs a computational model of arousal dynamics where the excessively increased arousal makes the task transition difficult. The model was developed using functions integrated into the cognitive architecture Adaptive Control of Thought-Rational (ACT-R). Under the framework, arousal is treated as a coefficient affecting the overall activation level in the model. In our simulations, we set up two conditions demanding low and high arousal, trying to replicate corresponding human experiments. In each simulation condition, two sets of ACT-R parameters were assumed from different interpretations of the human experimental settings. The results showed consistency of behavior between humans and models both in the two different simulation settings. This result suggests the validity of our assumptions and has implications of controlling arousal in our daily life.