Differential effects of cue changes and task changes on task-set selection costs.
A task-switching paradigm with a 2:1 mapping between cues and tasks was used to separate cue-switching processes (indexed through pure cue-switch costs) from actual task-switching processes (indexed through additional costs in case of cue and task changes). A large portion of total switch costs was due to cue changes (Experiments 1 and 2), and cue-switch costs but not task-switch costs were sensitive to effects of practice (Experiment 1) and preparation (Experiment 2). In contrast, task-switch costs were particularly sensitive to response-priming effects (Experiments 1 and 2) and task-set inhibition (Experiment 3). Results suggest two processing stages relevant during task-set selection: cue-driven retrieval of task rules from long-term memory and the automatic application of rules to a particular stimulus situation.
Mayr
Ulrich
U
Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, Eugene 97403, USA. mayr@darkwing.uoregon.edu
Kliegl
Reinhold
R
D002755:Choice Behavior; D003118:Color Perception; D003463:Cues; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological; D005556:Form Perception; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D008568:Memory; D011930:Reaction Time; D013997:Time Factors