Task organization in multitasking: Determinants and characteristics of individual preferences for serial versus overlapping task processing and different strategies of response organization

多任务处理中的任务组织：串行与重叠任务处理的个人偏好的决定因素和特征以及响应组织的不同策略

• 批准号: 274870725
• 负责人: Professor Dr. Dietrich Manzey
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Fachgebiet Arbeits-, Ingenieur- und Organisationspsychologie
• 依托单位国家: 德国
• 项目类别: Priority Programmes
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 德国
• 起止时间: 2014-12-31 至 2021-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/274870725?language=en
• 关键词: Task; organization; multitasking; Determinants; characteristics

The current project addresses individual differences in coping with multiple task requirements. During the first funding period two experimental paradigms have been developed which enable to describe individual preferences on two different levels of task organization when performing two cognitive tasks concurrently. The first one is referred to as task-switching with preview (TSWP) and is used to study individual preferences for different modes of process organization, i.e. serial versus overlapping task processing. The second one is referred to as free concurrent dual-tasking (FCDT) and enables for differentiating between different sorts of response organization when coping concurrently with two tasks. Based on the first paradigm evidence was found, that individuals differ systematically in their preferred mode of processing. While some individuals prefer to work strictly serially on two tasks, others use options of overlapping (parallel) processing in order to optimize multitasking performance. Similar differences emerged on the level of response organization. Here three types of behavioral strategies could be distinguished which are referred to as blocking, switching and response-grouping. Moreover, evidence was found that the chosen mode of processing is adapted to task-demands (i.e. the risk of crosstalk between tasks to be performed concurrently). In contrast, the chosen response strategy seems to reflect a more rigid individual bias which remains constant independent of the strength of resource competition between tasks. The current project capitalizes on these findings and shall contribute to a better understanding of the characteristics, underlying determinants and links of the individual preferences on the two levels of task-organization in multitasking. With the use of the two paradigms mentioned above, the following specific objectives will be addressed in a series of proposed laboratory experiments: (1) Identification of possible links between preferred modes of processing and strategies of response organization. (2) Clarifying the nature of overlapping processing, i.e. what exactly is processed in an overlapping manner by individuals identified as overlapping processors in the TSWP paradigm and when this overlapping processing takes place. (3) Investigating the involvement of top-down and bottom-up control in preferred modes of processing and strategies of response organization. (4) Investigating context effects (e.g. general memory load, induced cognitive style of thinking, motivational state) on the use and efficiency of different response organization strategies in the FCDT paradigm. In addition, a number of cooperative studies with other partners in the project are planned which, among others, will address links to individual differences of cognitive and behavioral control found in other multitasking paradigms used in cognitive psychology and movement sciences.

目前的项目处理在应付多种任务要求的个体差异。在第一个资助期间，已经开发了两个实验范式，使描述个人偏好的两个不同层次的任务组织时，同时执行两个认知任务。第一个被称为任务切换与预览（TSWP），并用于研究不同模式的过程组织，即串行与重叠的任务处理的个人偏好。第二个被称为自由并发双任务（FCDT），并允许区分不同类型的响应组织同时处理两个任务时。基于第一范式的证据被发现，个人系统地不同，在他们的首选模式的处理。虽然有些人更喜欢严格地连续处理两项任务，但其他人则使用重叠（并行）处理选项来优化多任务处理性能。在响应组织的级别上也出现了类似的差异。在这里，可以区分三种类型的行为策略，它们被称为阻塞，转换和响应分组。此外，有证据表明，所选择的处理模式是适应任务的要求（即风险之间的串扰任务同时执行）。相比之下，所选择的响应策略似乎反映了一个更严格的个人偏见，保持不变的任务之间的资源竞争的强度独立。目前的项目利用这些研究结果，并应有助于更好地了解的特点，潜在的决定因素和个人偏好的两个层次的任务组织在多任务。通过使用上述两种范式，在一系列拟议的实验室实验中将解决以下具体目标：（1）识别首选的加工模式和反应组织策略之间的可能联系。(2)澄清重叠处理的性质，即在TSWP范式中被识别为重叠处理器的个体以重叠方式处理了什么，以及这种重叠处理何时发生。(3)调查参与自上而下和自下而上控制的首选模式的处理和响应组织的战略。(4)调查的背景效应（如一般记忆负荷，诱导认知风格的思维，动机状态）的使用和不同的反应组织策略的效率在FCDT范式。此外，还计划与该项目的其他合作伙伴开展一些合作研究，其中包括解决认知心理学和运动科学中使用的其他多任务范式中发现的认知和行为控制的个体差异的联系。