Cognitive Control and Dual Task Information Processing

为什么同时做两件事这么难？许多研究者都认为，中央认知处理的局限性是造成这种现象的原因，过去20年来的大多数证据都指向反应选择过程中的严格限制或瓶颈。与这些传统的研究结果相反，最近的双重任务绩效研究表明，两个任务的反应信息可以并行产生，打破了中央认知处理中的单任务限制。这项研究建议扩展了这些最近的发现，1）测试这种并行操作的典型的一次一个中央处理可以发生的程度，和2）探索如何战略或执行控制过程可以协调和调节串行与并行操作的中央信息处理。 通过了解我们的大脑如何同时关注和执行两项任务，我们可以对日常情况做出更好的决定（例如一边开车一边打电话），并更好地了解注意力，短期记忆和我们对行为的刻意控制如何在真实的世界环境中共同发挥作用。

Why is it so difficult to do two things at once? Many researchers have converged on the idea that a limitation in central cognitive processing is responsible, with most evidence over the last twenty years pointing to a strict limitation, or bottleneck, in the process of response selection. In contrast with these traditional findings, recent research in dual task performance has suggested that response information for two tasks can be produced in parallel, breaking this single-task limit in central cognitive processing. This research proposal extends these recent findings to 1) test the extent to which this parallel operation of typically one-at-a-time central processes can occur, and 2) to explore how strategic or executive control processes can coordinate and modulate serial versus parallel operation of central information processing. By understanding how our brains pay attention to and perform two tasks at the same time, we can make better decisions about everyday situations (such as driving while talking on the phone), and gain a better understanding about how attention, short term memory and our deliberate control of behaviour work together in real world settings.