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Related Experiment Videos

Switching tasks and attention policies.

D Gopher1, L Armony, Y Greenshpan

  • 1Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel. dgopher@ie.technion.ac.il

Journal of Experimental Psychology. General
|September 28, 2000
PubMed
Summary

This study reveals significant first-trial costs following task transitions, with task dimension changes incurring higher performance costs than attention strategy shifts. Advanced preparation can mitigate costs associated with task dimension changes.

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Human Performance

Background:

  • Understanding cognitive control is crucial for explaining task performance variability.
  • Task transitions, involving shifts in stimulus dimensions or attention strategies, present unique challenges to cognitive control.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the performance costs associated with task transitions.
  • To differentiate between costs of task switching and reconsideration.
  • To examine the impact of preparation on transition costs.

Main Methods:

  • Six experiments were conducted to assess performance costs on the first trial after task transition.
  • Stimulus dimensions (digit value/number of elements) and attention strategies (speed/accuracy) were manipulated.

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  • Preparation was varied by presenting transition information either at the block start or just before each part.

    • Main Results:

    • Pronounced first-trial transition costs were observed, distinct from basic task performance costs.
    • Task dimension changes incurred greater costs than attention strategy shifts.
    • Advanced preparation reduced costs associated with task dimension changes but not strategy shifts.

    Conclusions:

    • Transition costs are influenced by both stop-start and task-switching requirements.
    • A distinction between the activation and execution of control strategies is proposed.
    • Cognitive control is sensitive to global control considerations during task transitions.