Search for a command to run...
Human cognition is often described as continuous and organized; however, daily experience suggests that thought processes are frequently disrupted by minor internal and external stimuli. Despite extensive research on attention and distraction, limited attention has been given to the structural stability of thought itself as a measurable psychological construct. The present study introduces Thought Discontinuity Susceptibility (TDS), defined as the extent to which an individual’s cognitive flow is vulnerable to interruption and the time required to recover after disruption. TDS is conceptualized as comprising two dimensions: Interruption Sensitivity (IS), referring to the ease with which ongoing thoughts are disrupted, and Recovery Latency (RL), referring to the delay or effort required to resume the original train of thought. A 20-item self-report inventory using a five-point Likert scale (Never to Always) was developed to operationalize the construct, yielding total scores between 20 and 100. The instrument was administered to a sample of 50 participants across varied age and educational backgrounds using a paper-based format. Descriptive statistical analysis revealed scores ranging from 35 to 86, with a mean of 56.84 and a standard deviation of 10.12, indicating moderate overall susceptibility and noticeable individual variation. Subscale findings suggested that participants reported slightly higher interruption sensitivity relative to recovery latency. A positive correlation between the two dimensions supported the theoretical coherence of the construct. The findings provide preliminary support for TDS as a measurable index of cognitive flow disruption. While further validation with larger samples is necessary, the study establishes a conceptual and empirical foundation for examining cognitive continuity as a distinct psychological dimension.