Is the Devil as Black as He Is Painted? The Effect of Notifications on Attention

Психологические исследования: электронный научный журнал. 2027. Vol. 20. No. 111.

Kozhevnikova V., Anufrieva A.

In recent years, the question of how the digital environment affects human cognitive functions, and attention in particular, has become increasingly relevant. One of the primary task-irrelevant stimuli in the  digital environment is the notification, a transient interface element designed to present new information and redirect attention to a secondary task. This review analyzes empirical studies on visual notifications and their influence on attention, focusing on whether notification characteristics are associated with attentional impairment in ongoing task performance. Across the reviewed literature, notifications are consistently reported as distracting, irritating, or attention-capturing at the subjective level; however, objective behavioral findings remain mixed and inconclusive, and many studies do not assess task accuracy or task-resumption costs directly. The available evidence therefore suggests that notifications may shape metacognitive experience more consistently than they impair behavioral performance. Future research should adopt more standardized behavioral protocols, include both subjective and objective measures, and examine individual differences as potential moderators of notification effects.

Keywords: цифровая среда, digital environment, cognitive-digital interaction, когнитивно-цифровое взаимодействие, notifications, уведомления

Publication based on the results of: Cognitive processes in the information environment: phenomena and explanatory models (2025)