How planful is routine behavior? A selective-attention model of performance in the Tower of Hanoi.
Routine human behavior has often been attributed to plans-mental representations of sequences goals and actions-but can also be attributed to more opportunistic interactions of mind and a structured environment. This study asks whether performance on a task traditionally analyzed in terms of plans can be better understood from a "situated" (or "embodied") perspective. A saccade-contingent display-updating paradigm is used to change the environment by adding, deleting, and moving task-relevant objects without participants' direct awareness. Response latencies, action patterns, and eye movements all indicate that performance is guided not by plans stored in memory but by a control routine bound to objects as needed by perception and selective attention. The results have implications for interpreting everyday task performance and particular neuropsychological deficits.
Patsenko
Elena G
EG
Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA. patsenka@msu.edu
Altmann
Erik M
EM
D000465:Algorithms; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003210:Concept Formation / Q000502:physiology; D005133:Eye Movements / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D033182:Intention; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009949:Orientation / Q000502:physiology; D011340:Problem Solving / Q000502:physiology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D013037:Spatial Behavior / Q000502:physiology