Increased control demand results in serial processing: evidence from dual-task performance.
Increased demands on cognitive control trigger changes in processing mode. One such modulation involves a shift from parallel to serial processing. This study assessed the role of control demand in determining whether dual-task processing is performed serially or in parallel. We used two critical indices, based on the response-selection bottleneck model, to show that response selection was serial when a task switch was involved, but partly parallel when the simultaneous performance of the tasks did not involve task switching.
Luria
Roy
R
Department of Behavioral Sciences and Zolotowski Center for Neuroscience, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel. rluria@bgu.ac.il
Meiran
Nachshon
N
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D012691:Serial Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis