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Updated: May 2, 2026
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Measurement of Neurophysiological Signals of Ignoring and Attending Processes in Attention Control
Published on: July 5, 2015
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Long-term memory and the control of attentional control
Ulrich Mayr1, David Kuhns1, Jason Hubbard1
1University of Oregon, United States.
Cognitive Psychology
|March 22, 2014
Summary
Task switching costs, particularly the asymmetry, occur when working memory shifts from maintenance to updating. This shift allows long-term memory interference, impacting cognitive control.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Human Factors
Background:
- Task-switch costs and switch-cost asymmetry are typically explained by carry-over of task-specific control settings.
- An alternative perspective suggests task switches trigger a shift from working memory maintenance to updating.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of working memory updating in task-switch costs and asymmetry.
- To determine if task interruptions, rather than specific task conflicts, drive asymmetric costs.
Main Methods:
- A novel paradigm assessed spatial location selection based on endogenous or exogenous attention cues.
- Experiments manipulated task interruptions, conflict conditions, interruption length, control demands, and primary task conflict types.
Main Results:
- A strong cost asymmetry was observed even after short task interruptions.
- Asymmetric costs were amplified when participants previously experienced competing tasks under conflict.
- Asymmetric costs were attributed to interruptions per se, not associative interference from specific activities.
Conclusions:
- Task interruptions force working memory from maintenance to updating mode, enabling interference from long-term memory.
- Costs arise when interfering memory traces are encoded in long-term memory and working memory must update, allowing unwanted retrieval.
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