Implicit task sets in task switching?
In 2 experiments, the authors compare stimulus-based versus task-rule-based task performance. Participants practiced 8 stimulus-response mappings either with or without knowledge about 2 underlying task sets. After practice, 2 transfer blocks with 8 new stimuli were presented. Results show that rule knowledge leads to significant switch and transfer costs, whereas without rule knowledge neither switch nor transfer costs occur. However, significant Task Type x Response Type interactions occurred in both conditions. In a second experiment including only the no rule condition, half of the stimulus-response mappings in the transfer blocks were incongruent to the underlying task rule. Slower response times for these incongruent stimuli as compared with congruent stimuli and the absence of switch costs suggest that participants acquired (presumably implicit) knowledge about 4 different stimulus-response categories.
Dreisbach
Gesine
G
Institute of Psychology I, Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany. dreisbach@psychomail.tu-dresden.de
Goschke
Thomas
T
Haider
Hilde
H
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001245:Association Learning; D001288:Attention; D003118:Color Perception; D004193:Discrimination Learning; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D007721:Knowledge of Results, Psychological; D008297:Male; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D011340:Problem Solving; D011930:Reaction Time; D011932:Reading; D012660:Semantics; D012718:Set, Psychology; D014163:Transfer, Psychology