Cognitive Control and Dual Task Information Processing

为什么同时做两件事这么难呢？许多研究人员一致认为，中央认知处理的限制是造成这种现象的原因，过去20年的大多数证据都指出，反应选择过程中存在严格的限制或瓶颈。与这些传统发现相反，最近关于双重任务表现的研究表明，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单一任务的限制。本研究计划将这些最近的发现扩展到：1)测试这种典型的一次一个中央过程的并行操作可以发生的程度；2)探索战略或执行控制过程如何协调和调节中央信息处理的串行操作与并行操作。通过了解我们的大脑是如何同时关注和执行两项任务的，我们可以在日常情况下做出更好的决定（比如一边打电话一边开车），并更好地理解在现实世界中，注意力、短期记忆和我们对行为的刻意控制是如何协同工作的。

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.