The influence of cue-task association and location on switch cost and alternating-switch cost
The influence of cue-task association and location on switch cost and alternating-switch cost
复制标题
DOI：
10.1037/h0087382
复制
发表时间：
2002-03-01
影响因子：
1.3
通讯作者：
Woodward, TS
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Arbuthnott, KD;Woodward, TS
任务转换的绩效受到命令性刺激是否唯一地指定要执行哪项任务的强烈影响：转换成本在双价刺激下是可观的，但在单价刺激下显著降低，这表明可用语境信息影响任务转换情景中的加工。本研究考察了任务线索提供的任务相关信息是否以平行的方式影响转换成本的大小。在三价刺激前呈现500个INS的线索表明要完成三个任务中的哪一个。这些线索要么与要执行的任务有预先存在的关联(言语线索)，要么与任务最近学到的关联(空间和形状线索)。结果与刺激二价性的影响是平行的：大量的转换成本，与最近学习的线索-任务关联，以及极大地降低了转换成本与先前存在的提示-任务关联。这表明，基于刺激和基于线索的信息都可以激活相关的任务集，可能为内源性控制过程提供外部支持。交替切换成本也被观察到，这是切换回最近放弃的任务的更大成本，无论是预先存在的还是最近学习的线索-任务关联，但只有当所有任务都呈现在一致的空间位置时才能观察到。当空间位置被用来提示要执行的任务时，没有观察到交替转换成本，这表明当任务在空间中唯一地定位时，可能涉及不同的过程。指定这些过程的性质可能会被证明是复杂的，因为对数据的事后检查表明，对于空间提示条件，交替切换的成本可能在成本和收益之间振荡，这取决于相关的任务。
Task-switching performance is strongly influenced by whether the imperative stimulus uniquely specifies which task to perform: Switch cost is substantial with bivalent stimuli but is greatly reduced with univalent stimuli, suggesting that available contextual information influences processing in task-switching situations. The present study examined whether task-relevant information provided by task cues influences the magnitude of switch cost in a parallel manner. Cues presented 500 ins prior to a trivalent stimulus indicated which of three tasks to perform. These cues either had a preexisting association with the to-be-performed task (verbal cues), or a recently learned association with the task (spatial and shape cues). The results paralleled the effects of stimulus bivalence: substantial switch cost,with recently learned cue-task associations and greatly reduced switch cost with preexisting cue-task associations. This suggests that both stimulus-based and cue-based information can activate the relevant task set, possibly providing external support to endogenous control processes. Alternating-switch cost, a greater cost for switching back to a recently abandoned task, was also observed,with both preexisting and recently learned cue-task associations, but only when all tasks, were presented in a consistent spatial location. When spatial location was used to cue the to-be-performed tasks, no alternating-switch cost was observed, suggesting that different processes may be involved when tasks are uniquely located in space. Specification of the nature of these processes may prove to be complex, as post-hoc inspection of the data suggested that for the spatial cue condition, the alternating-switch cost may oscillate between cost and benefit, depending on the relevant task.