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Temporal cue-target overlap is not essential for backward inhibition in task switching
James A Grange1, George Houghton
1Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Psychology, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2AS, UK. j.a.grange@bangor.ac.uk
Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology (2006)
|February 20, 2009
Summary
Backward inhibition (BI) occurs when returning to a task after a short break. This study shows BI depends on working memory, not just cue-target overlap, challenging prior research on task switching costs.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Human Performance
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Lag 2 repetition costs, or backward inhibition (BI), represent a performance decrement when resuming a task after a single intervening trial.
- Previous research suggested BI relies on temporally overlapping cues and targets for task-specific inhibition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of cue-target temporal overlap in backward inhibition.
- To examine the contribution of working memory translation to task-specific BI.
- To identify factors contributing to faster responses in non-overlapping conditions.
Main Methods:
- Three experiments were conducted, including a direct replication of prior work.
- Participants performed tasks with varying cue-target temporal relationships (overlapping vs. non-overlapping).
- Response times and error rates were analyzed to assess performance costs.
Main Results:
- Evidence suggests backward inhibition is not solely dependent on temporal cue-target overlap.
- The need to translate cue-target relationships into working memory appears crucial for task-specific BI.
- Faster responses in non-overlapping conditions are partly attributable to low-level perceptual differences.
Conclusions:
- Backward inhibition is a robust sequential control mechanism.
- BI is employed regardless of whether cues and targets overlap temporally.
- Working memory translation plays a significant role in the expression of backward inhibition.
