Influence of Task Switching on Number Processing

最近的研究表明，在21世纪世纪之初，成功地管理现代生活与适当处理和处理数字的能力密切相关。因此，研究数字的表征和数字能力的认知基础是高度相关的。除了对数字大小或算术过程的充分理解等领域特有的数字能力外，领域一般性加工作为数字信息加工的关键因素也受到越来越多的研究关注。特别是，域一般的认知控制能力似乎是在处理数字的特殊重要性，即使在任务简单的数字比较的认知控制的影响。然而，迄今为止，研究认知控制对数字加工的影响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切换时，认知控制对数字加工的影响。任务转换范式是认知控制研究中的常用范式，它为研究认知控制对数字加工的影响提供了新的思路。特别是，我们将研究数字加工和任务转换的相互关系，考虑到个位数和两位数的数字加工的影响。这些将在五项研究中进行调查，在这些研究中，我们应用我们以前成功的方法，将经验实验与计算建模相结合。在所有的实证实验中，参与者将不得不在数量级比较任务和奇偶判断任务之间切换。在第一个研究中，我们将探讨如何影响个位数的影响之间的大小比较任务和奇偶判断任务的切换。在三个进一步的研究中，我们将追求同样的想法处理两位数。此外，计划根据我们最近的建模工作，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。总之，这种创新的合成一个新的实验范式与相结合的经验和计算建模方法将允许新的见解特定领域的数字和域一般的认知控制过程中的数字处理的相互作用。

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.