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Related Experiment Videos

Task preparation and task repetition: two-component model of task switching.

M H Sohn1, J R Anderson

  • 1Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA. mhsohn@andrew.cmu.edu

Journal of Experimental Psychology. General
|January 5, 2002
PubMed
Summary
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Switching tasks incurs a cost due to preparation or repetition priming. This study found task switch costs decrease with practice and longer intervals, suggesting preparation and repetition benefit contribute to this cognitive phenomenon.

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Cognitive Science

Background:

  • Task switching cost, the performance decrement when shifting between tasks, is a key area in cognitive psychology.
  • Existing theories attribute this cost to either insufficient preparation for the new task or residual priming from the previous task.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To disentangle the contributions of preparation and repetition priming to task switching costs.
  • To investigate the influence of foreknowledge, response-to-stimulus interval (RSI), and practice on switch costs.

Main Methods:

  • Experimental manipulation of foreknowledge (knowing whether the next task is a repeat or switch).
  • Varied response-to-stimulus interval (RSI) and practice levels.
  • Analysis of performance differences between repeated and switched tasks.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Task switch costs decreased significantly with increased RSI and practice.
  • The reduction in switch cost was more pronounced when participants had foreknowledge of the upcoming task switch.
  • The magnitude of the switch cost itself was not dependent on foreknowledge.

Conclusions:

  • Switch costs appear to comprise both inadequate preparation and repetition benefit when foreknowledge is present.
  • In the absence of foreknowledge, switch costs may primarily reflect the repetition benefit of the prior task.
  • An ACT-R model was proposed to account for preparation and priming effects via conflict resolution and activation decay.