Information interference and loss in a dual task situation: Task 1, choice reaction time; Task 2, unspeeded recall

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Human Information Processing

Background:

• Dual-tasking research investigates how people perform multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Prior studies indicate reduced accuracy with decreased stimulus-onset asynchrony (SOA) and increased task overlap.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the extraction and maintenance of second task information during dual-task performance.
• To differentiate between interference and information loss as causes for recall deficits.

Main Methods:

• Four experiments employed a psychological refractory period (PRP) procedure.
• Task 1 involved a speeded reaction to a tone; Task 2 involved unspeeded recall of letter triplets.

Main Results:

• All experiments demonstrated interference, with later letter recall accuracy decreasing as SOA shortened.
• Two experiments showed information loss, evidenced by lower accuracy with longer Task 1 reaction times.
• Increased Task 1 complexity or perceptual difficulty also led to information loss.

Conclusions:

• Interference is attributed to slowed perceptual information extraction.
• Information loss is consistent with fragile temporary storage before short-term memory consolidation.
• Interference and information loss are independent cognitive processes.