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The role of working memory for task-order coordination in dual-task situations
Sebastian Kübler1,2, Tilo Strobach3, Torsten Schubert4
1Department of Psychology, Martin-Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany. Sebastian.kuebler@psych.uni-halle.de.
Psychological Research
|April 22, 2021
Summary
Task-order coordination in dual-task (DT) situations relies on working memory (WM). Increased WM load impairs the ability to process task order, confirming its dependence on WM resources.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Dual-task (DT) performance relies on task-order coordination.
- Theories suggest task-order coordination uses working memory (WM) for order representations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To directly test if working memory (WM) resources are essential for processing task-order information in dual-task (DT) situations.
- To investigate how varying working memory load impacts performance benefits associated with repeating task orders.
Main Methods:
- Manipulated working memory (WM) load during a dual-task (DT) with variable task order across three experiments.
- Experiment 1 varied stimulus-response mappings; Experiment 2A added a WM updating task; Experiment 2B added a low-load task.
Main Results:
- The performance benefit for repeated task orders decreased under high WM load compared to low WM load.
- Adding a low-load task did not affect the processing of order information, unlike the high-load task.
Conclusions:
- Task-order coordination critically depends on working memory (WM) resources.
- Order information is actively maintained in working memory (WM) during dual-task (DT) processing.
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