Capacity limitations of a classic M-power measure: a modified dual-task approach.
A modified dual-task approach was employed with 7- to 9-year-olds in an effort to determine whether one of the classic M-power measures, the digit placement task, is indeed capacity-limited. To this end, a computerized version of a three-item digit placement task was administered in addition to three other computerized tasks: a four-item digit placement task, simple reaction time (RT) to a tone presented alone, and reaction time to a tone occurring during the performance of another three-item digit placement task. Careful examination of the data revealed that several critical assumptions concerning the use of the dual-task procedure were successfully met. This permitted a test of the extent to which dual-task RTs were predictive of accuracy in the harder, four-item digit placement task. Not only was this relationship significant, but after partialling out other possible sources of variance, a significant correlation remained, indicating that the digit placement task is indeed capacity-limited.
Foley
E J
EJ
Department of Psychology, University of Cincinnati, P.O. Box 210376, Cincinnati, OH 45221-0376, USA.
Berch
D B
DB
D001307:Auditory Perception; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D005556:Form Perception; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills; D011340:Problem Solving; D011930:Reaction Time