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The effect of performing versus preparing a task on the subsequent switch cost
Rachel Swainson1, Laura Prosser2, Kostadin Karavasilev2
1School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, William Guild Building, Aberdeen, AB24 3FX, Scotland, UK. r.swainson@abdn.ac.uk.
Psychological Research
|October 19, 2019
Summary
Task preparation alone influences task readiness, but task performance may amplify switch costs. This study clarifies how trial event timing and predictability affect cognitive task switching.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive psychology
- Human-computer interaction
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Behavior is sequential, not isolated.
- Task-switching paradigms reveal event impacts on performance.
- Two-stage models suggest limited readiness impact from preparation alone.
Purpose of the Study:
- Compare switch costs after preparation (cue-only) vs. performance (completed) trials.
- Investigate the influence of trial event timing and predictability on switch costs.
- Clarify the role of task preparation and performance in cognitive task switching.
Main Methods:
- Conducted three experiments using a task-switching paradigm.
- Controlled timing between critical trial events in Experiments 1 and 2.
- Restructured paradigm in Experiment 3 to equate cue and target predictability.
Main Results:
- Timing adjustments in Experiments 1 and 2 partially equated switch costs.
- Equating predictability in Experiment 3 showed smaller switch costs for cue-only trials.
- Task preparation sufficiently drives switch costs, while performance may increase them.
Conclusions:
- Task preparation alone drives subsequent switch costs.
- Task performance can amplify switch costs, aligning with two-stage models.
- Switch costs are modulated by both timing and predictability of trial events.
