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On the role of verbalization during task set selection: switching or serial order control?
1University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1227, USA.
Memory & Cognition
|October 27, 2005
Summary
Articulatory suppression (AS) significantly increases task-switching costs, but this effect lessens with sequential cues. Verbalization appears critical for maintaining sequential plans, not just task switching.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Task-switching research indicates verbalization plays a role in switching efficiency.
- Previous studies showed significant increases in task-switch costs with concurrent articulatory suppression (AS).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of verbalization in task switching and sequential planning.
- To examine how articulatory suppression (AS) affects task-switch costs under different conditions.
Main Methods:
- Replication of previous findings using computerized assessment.
- Experiment 2: Introduced sequential cues (spatial location) to reduce AS interference.
- Experiment 3: Compared switch and no-switch trials within alternating task runs.
Main Results:
- Computerized assessment showed smaller effect sizes for AS than prior reports.
- Sequential cues in Experiment 2 reduced AS interference.
- AS interference in Experiment 3 was highest with high endogenous sequencing demand, affecting switch and no-switch trials similarly.
Conclusions:
- Verbalization is crucial for the endogenous maintenance and updating of sequential plans.
- The findings suggest verbalization's role extends beyond the switching process itself to encompass planning.