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Stimulus-based priming of task choice during voluntary task switching.

Catherine M Arrington¹, Starla M Weaver, Rachel L Pauker

¹Department of Psychology, Program of Cognitive Science, Lehigh University. kate.arrington@lehigh.edu

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|June 23, 2010

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Area of Science:

Cognitive Psychology
Human Behavior
Neuroscience

Background:

Understanding how prior experiences influence decision-making is crucial in cognitive psychology.
Task-switching paradigms explore cognitive flexibility and the control of attention.
The role of stimulus-specific learning in voluntary task selection requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the impact of previous stimulus exposure and categorization on subsequent task choices.
To determine if stimulus-task bindings influence voluntary task selection.
To differentiate between episodic and semantic memory contributions to stimulus-based priming in task choice.

Main Methods:

Two voluntary task-switching experiments were conducted.
Participants performed origin and size judgments under instructions for random task order.
Task selection was analyzed based on previous stimulus exposure and task performance, with manipulation in Experiment 2.

Main Results:

Participants significantly favored repeating the same task for previously encountered stimuli, contrary to random task order instructions.
This effect was observed regardless of whether participants or the experimenter initially selected the task.
Data suggest stimulus-based priming influences task choice through both experimental episode retrieval and semantic memory.

Conclusions:

Prior exposure to stimuli creates stimulus-task bindings that bias subsequent task selection.
Stimulus-based priming affects task choice via retrieval of specific experimental episodes and general semantic memory.
These findings highlight the pervasive influence of memory on cognitive control and decision-making.