Influence of Task Switching on Number Processing

最近的研究表明，在21世纪初管理现代生活的成功很大程度上与恰当处理和处理数字的能力有关。因此，对数字表征和数字能力认知基础的研究具有重要的现实意义。尤其重要的是要了解哪些认知过程对数字信息的加工是至关重要的。除了特定领域的数字能力，如对数字大小或算术程序的充分理解外，领域通用过程作为数字信息加工的关键因素越来越受到研究的关注。特别是，认知控制的一般领域能力似乎在数字加工中具有特殊的重要性，即使在像数字比较这样简单的任务中，也有报告表明认知控制的影响。然而，到目前为止，关于认知控制对数字加工影响的研究主要集中在同一任务(最常见的是数量比较任务)中的反应冲突。为了克服这一缺陷，本研究旨在考察当被试在两个数字任务之间进行切换时，认知控制对数字加工的影响。由于这种任务转换范式被广泛应用于认知控制的研究中，这为认知控制在数字加工中的影响提供了一个新的视角。特别是，我们将考察数字加工和任务转换之间的相互关系，同时考虑个位数和两位数数字加工的影响。这些将在五项研究中进行研究，在这些研究中，我们通过将经验实验与计算建模相结合的方法来应用我们之前成功的方法。在所有的经验实验中，参与者必须在大小比较任务和对等判断任务之间切换。在第一项研究中，我们将考察大小比较任务和奇偶判断任务之间的切换如何影响个位数的效果。在接下来的三项研究中，我们将继续研究处理两位数数字的相同想法。此外，计划在我们最近的建模工作的基础上，通过计算模型来解释这些研究的经验结果。最后，在第五项研究中，我们的目标是将各自的计算建模方法整合到一个通用的模型框架中。总而言之，这一新的实验范式与经验和计算模型相结合的创新性综合方法将允许我们对数字加工中特定领域的数字和领域一般认知控制过程的相互作用提供新的见解。

Recent research indicates that success in managing modern life at the beginning of the 21st century is associated substantially with the ability to appropriately deal with and handle numbers. Therefore, research on the representation of numbers and the cognitive underpinnings of numerical abilities is highly relevant. In particular, it is important to understand which cognitive processes are critical for the processing of numerical information.Besides domain-specific numerical abilities such as sufficient understanding of number magnitude or arithmetic procedures, domain-general processes gained increasing research interest as factor being critical for the processing of numerical information. In particular, the domain-general ability of cognitive control seems to be of specific importance in the processing of numbers, even in tasks as simple as number comparison influences of cognitive control were reported. However, so far studies investigating the influence of cognitive control in number processing mainly focused on response conflicts within the same task (most often magnitude comparison tasks). To overcome this shortcoming, this project aims at investigating influences of cognitive control on number processing when participants have to switch between two numerical tasks. As such task switching paradigms are commonly used in cognitive control research this represents a new approach on influences of cognitive control in number processing. In particular, we will investigate the interrelation of number processing and task switching considering effects of single-digit as well as two-digit number processing. These will be investigated in five studies, in which we apply our previously successful approach by combining empirical experiments with computational modeling. In all of the empirical experiments, participants will have to switch between a magnitude comparison task and a parity judgment task. In the first study, we will examine how effects of single-digit numbers are affected by switches between a magnitude comparison task and a parity judgment task. In three further studies, we will pursue the same idea for the processing of two-digit numbers. Furthermore, it is planned to account for the empirical results of these studies by computational models based on our recent modelling work. Finally, in a fifth study, we aim at integrating the respective computational modelling approaches into a general model framework. In sum, this innovative synthesis of a new experimental paradigm with a combined empirical and computational modelling approach will allow for new insights into the interplay of domain-specific numerical and domain-general processes of cognitive control in number processing.