Cue type affects preparatory influences on task inhibition.
The present study investigates the influence of preparation on inhibitory effects in cued task switching. In three experiments, we assessed n - 2 repetition costs as marker of inhibition of the just executed and now irrelevant task by comparing performance in task sequences such as ABA (i.e., n - 2 repetitions, with A, B and C standing for different tasks) to task sequences such as CBA (i.e., n - 2 switches). Specifically, we varied the cue-target interval (CTI) to examine cue-based preparation effects. In addition, we manipulated cue type (i.e., abstract, verbal, and direct cues) across the three experiments. We obtained significant reductions of n - 2 repetition costs with prolonged CTI when using abstract cues (i.e., coloured frames) and task names (i.e., digit), but not when using the task-specific stimulus-response mapping as cue for the upcoming task. These data suggest that cue-based preparation is not a uniform process but depends on the information provided by the cue.
University of Zurich, Institute of Psychology, General Psychology, Cognition, Switzerland. Electronic address: m.gade@psychologie.uzh.ch.
Miriam
M
Gade
RWTH Aachen University, Institute of Psychology, Germany.
Iring
I
Koch
D000328:Adult; D003463:Cues; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D007600:Judgment / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology*; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis
Cue type; Inhibition; Preparation; Task switching