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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 21, 2026

Measuring the Switch Cost of Smartphone Use While Walking

Measuring the Switch Cost of Smartphone Use While Walking

Published on: April 30, 2020

Task-switch costs subsequent to cue-only trials.

Rachel Swainson¹, Douglas Martin¹, Laura Prosser¹

¹a School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen , Aberdeen , UK.

Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology (2006)

|May 14, 2016

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Switching tasks incurs a cost, even when the previous task was only prepared, not performed. This "switch cost" is influenced by preparation time and may reflect lingering intentions.

Keywords:

Preparation Stimulus–response mappings Subsequent switch cost Task switching

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Last Updated: Mar 21, 2026

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Area of Science:

Cognitive Psychology
Neuroscience
Human Factors

Background:

Task switching incurs a performance cost, known as "switch cost."
Previous theories suggested this cost is driven by task performance on the preceding trial.
Recent research questions the necessity of prior task performance in driving switch costs.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate if preparing a task but not performing it incurs a switch cost.
To examine the influence of preparation interval on switch costs.
To determine if preparing to attend to a specific dimension (e.g., color, shape) causes a residual switch cost.

Main Methods:

Three experiments were conducted to test the hypothesis.
Cue-only trials (preparation without performance) were used.
Preparation intervals of 300 ms and 1000 ms were manipulated.

Main Results:

A switch cost was replicated following cue-only trials, even after controlling for confounds.
This cost was greater with a short preparation interval (300 ms) compared to completed trials.
The switch cost decreased significantly with a longer preparation interval (1000 ms).
Preparing to attend to a visual dimension alone induced a significant, residual switch cost.

Conclusions:

Task preparation, even without performance, is sufficient to elicit a switch cost.
The duration of the preparation interval modulates the magnitude of the switch cost.
Residual switch costs may stem from persistent, unfulfilled task intentions or strategic adjustments to conflicting intentions.