scholarly journals Individual preferences for task coordination strategies in multitasking: exploring the link between preferred modes of processing and strategies of response organization

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jovita Brüning ◽  
Jessika Reissland ◽  
Dietrich Manzey
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Cognitive Task ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Task Coordination ◽  
Processing Mode ◽  
Coordination Strategies ◽  
Individual Preferences ◽  
Modes Of Processing ◽  
Response Organization ◽  
Task Processing

Abstract Recent investigation of individual differences in multitasking revealed evidence for individual preferences for modes of task processing (serial vs. overlapping) in a task switching with preview (TSWP) paradigm and different strategies of response organization (blocking, switching, and response grouping) in a free concurrent dual-tasking (FCDT) paradigm. However, this research on individual differences at the levels of cognitive task processing and behavioral response organization has been pursued separately, thus far, by testing independent samples of participants. In the current study, we investigated whether these two levels of task coordination were linked intra-individually. As individuals preferring an overlapping task processing mode can generate time gains particularly at task switches, we predicted that they prefer a switching strategy of response organization. In contrast, individuals preferring a serial processing mode are expected to prefer a blocking strategy to reduce dual-task demands. These predictions were confirmed in an experiment based on n = 70 participants. Indeed, most serial processors preferred a blocking strategy, whereas overlapping processors predominantly preferred to switch between the tasks. This finding suggests a strong correspondence between individual preferences emerging in both aspects of task coordination, which might reflect a common basic difference in the preferred style of cognitive control (flexible vs. persistent). Moreover, in case the preferred modes of task processing and strategies of response organization did not correspond to each other, the overall multitasking efficiency was comparably low. Thus, the distinction between the preferences for both aspects of multitasking seems to be an important aspect of understanding multitasking performance and should be considered in future studies.

The Case of the Cognitive (Opti)miser: Electrophysiological Correlates of Working Memory Maintenance Predict Demand Avoidance

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (8) ◽  
pp. 1550-1561
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Nador ◽  
Assaf Harel ◽  
Ion Juvina ◽  
Brandon Minnery
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Cognitive Task ◽  
Cognitive Effort ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Match To Sample ◽  
Irrelevant Distractors ◽  
Filtering Efficiency ◽  
Task Irrelevant

People are often considered cognitive misers. When given a free choice between two tasks, people tend to choose tasks requiring less cognitive effort. Such demand avoidance (DA) is associated with cognitive control, but it is still not clear to what extent individual differences in cognitive control can account for variations in DA. We sought to elucidate the relation between cognitive control and cognitive effort preferences by investigating the extent to which sustained neural activity in a task requiring cognitive control is correlated with DA. We hypothesized that neural measures of efficient filtering will predict individual variations in demand preferences. To test this hypothesis, we had participants perform a delayed-match-to-sample paradigm with their ERPs recorded, as well as a separate behavioral demand-selection task. We focused on the ERP correlates of cognitive filtering efficiency (CFE)—the ability to ignore task-irrelevant distractors during working memory maintenance—as it manifests in a modulation of the contralateral delay activity, an ERP correlate of cognitive control. As predicted, we found a significant positive correlation between CFE and DA. Individuals with high CFE tended to be significantly more demand avoidant than their low-CFE counterparts. Low-CFE individuals, in comparison, did not form distinct cognitive effort preferences. Overall, our results suggest that cognitive control over the contents of visual working memory contribute to individual differences in the expression of cognitive effort preferences. This further implies that these observed preferences are the product of sensitivity to cognitive task demands.

Individual Differences in Mental Rotation

2013 ◽  
Vol 60 (3) ◽  
pp. 164-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Khooshabeh ◽  
Mary Hegarty ◽  
Thomas F. Shipley
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Mental Rotation ◽  
Response Times ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Mental Rotation Task ◽  
Imagery Ability ◽  
Alternative Strategies

Two experiments tested the hypothesis that imagery ability and figural complexity interact to affect the choice of mental rotation strategies. Participants performed the Shepard and Metzler (1971) mental rotation task. On half of the trials, the 3-D figures were manipulated to create “fragmented” figures, with some cubes missing. Good imagers were less accurate and had longer response times on fragmented figures than on complete figures. Poor imagers performed similarly on fragmented and complete figures. These results suggest that good imagers use holistic mental rotation strategies by default, but switch to alternative strategies depending on task demands, whereas poor imagers are less flexible and use piecemeal strategies regardless of the task demands.

scholarly journals Preferred musical attribute dimensions underlie individual differences in music-induced analgesia

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Krzysztof Basiński ◽  
Agata Zdun-Ryżewska ◽  
David M. Greenberg ◽  
Mikołaj Majkowicz
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Pain Perception ◽  
Specific Effect ◽  
Experimental Pain ◽  
Pain Tolerance ◽  
Order Effects ◽  
Individual Preferences ◽  
Pain Stimulation ◽  
Musical Excerpts ◽  
Average Pain

AbstractMusic-induced analgesia (MIA) is a phenomenon that describes a situation in which listening to music influences pain perception. The heterogeneity of music used in MIA studies leads to a problem of a specific effect for an unspecified stimulus. To address this, we use a previously established model of musical preferences that categorizes the multidimensional sonic space of music into three basic dimensions: arousal, valence and depth. Participants entered an experimental pain stimulation while listening to compilations of short musical excerpts characteristic of each of the three attribute dimensions. The results showed an effect on the part of music attribute preferences on average pain, maximal pain, and pain tolerance after controlling for musical attributes and order effects. This suggests that individual preferences for music attributes play a significant role in MIA and that, in clinical contexts, music should not be chosen arbitrarily but according to individual preferences.

scholarly journals The relationship between hippocampal-dependent task performance and hippocampal grey matter myelination and iron content

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 239821282110119
Author(s):  
Ian A. Clark ◽  
Martina F. Callaghan ◽  
Nikolaus Weiskopf ◽  
Eleanor A. Maguire
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Autobiographical Memory ◽  
Task Performance ◽  
Iron Content ◽  
Grey Matter ◽  
Cognitive Task ◽  
Spatial Navigation ◽  
Imaging Data ◽  
Future Thinking

Individual differences in scene imagination, autobiographical memory recall, future thinking and spatial navigation have long been linked with hippocampal structure in healthy people, although evidence for such relationships is, in fact, mixed. Extant studies have predominantly concentrated on hippocampal volume. However, it is now possible to use quantitative neuroimaging techniques to model different properties of tissue microstructure in vivo such as myelination and iron. Previous work has linked such measures with cognitive task performance, particularly in older adults. Here we investigated whether performance on scene imagination, autobiographical memory, future thinking and spatial navigation tasks was associated with hippocampal grey matter myelination or iron content in young, healthy adult participants. Magnetic resonance imaging data were collected using a multi-parameter mapping protocol (0.8 mm isotropic voxels) from a large sample of 217 people with widely-varying cognitive task scores. We found little evidence that hippocampal grey matter myelination or iron content were related to task performance. This was the case using different analysis methods (voxel-based quantification, partial correlations), when whole brain, hippocampal regions of interest, and posterior:anterior hippocampal ratios were examined, and across different participant sub-groups (divided by gender and task performance). Variations in hippocampal grey matter myelin and iron levels may not, therefore, help to explain individual differences in performance on hippocampal-dependent tasks, at least in young, healthy individuals.

Area MT Neurons Respond to Visual Motion Distant From Their Receptive Fields

2005 ◽  
Vol 94 (6) ◽  
pp. 4156-4167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Zaksas ◽  
Tatiana Pasternak
Keyword(s):  
Time Course ◽  
Visual Motion ◽  
Cognitive Task ◽  
Receptive Fields ◽  
Direction Selectivity ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Visual Signals ◽  
Area Mt ◽  
Mt Neurons ◽  
Stimulus Offset

Neurons in cortical area MT have localized receptive fields (RF) representing the contralateral hemifield and play an important role in processing visual motion. We recorded the activity of these neurons during a behavioral task in which two monkeys were required to discriminate and remember visual motion presented in the ipsilateral hemifield. During the task, the monkeys viewed two stimuli, sample and test, separated by a brief delay and reported whether they contained motion in the same or in opposite directions. Fifty to 70% of MT neurons were activated by the motion stimuli presented in the ipsilateral hemifield at locations far removed from their classical receptive fields. These responses were in the form of excitation or suppression and were delayed relative to conventional MT responses. Both excitatory and suppressive responses were direction selective, but the nature and the time course of their directionality differed from the conventional excitatory responses recorded with stimuli in the RF. Direction selectivity of the excitatory remote response was transient and early, whereas the suppressive response developed later and persisted after stimulus offset. The presence or absence of these unusual responses on error trials, as well as their magnitude, was affected by the behavioral significance of stimuli used in the task. We hypothesize that these responses represent top-down signals from brain region(s) accessing information about stimuli in the entire visual field and about the behavioral state of the animal. The recruitment of neurons in the opposite hemisphere during processing of behaviorally relevant visual signals reveals a mechanism by which sensory processing can be affected by cognitive task demands.

scholarly journals Predicting Individual Preferences in Mindfulness Techniques Using Personality Traits

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rongxiang Tang ◽  
Todd Samuel Braver
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Predictor Variables ◽  
Focused Attention ◽  
Present Moment ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Loving Kindness ◽  
Individual Preferences ◽  
State Mindfulness ◽  
Open Monitoring

The growing popularity of mindfulness-based interventions has prompted exciting scientific research regarding their beneficial effects on well-being and health. Most mindfulness programs are provided as multi-faceted packages encompassing a set of different mindfulness techniques, each with distinct focus and mechanisms. However, this approach overlooks potential individual differences which may arise in response to practicing various mindfulness techniques. The present study investigated preferences for four prototypical mindfulness techniques (focused attention, open monitoring, loving-kindness, and body scan) and identified factors that may contribute to individual differences in these preferences. Participants without prior mindfulness experiences were exposed to each technique through audio-guided instructions and were asked to rank their preferences at the end of all practices. Results indicated that preferences for loving-kindness were predicted by empathy, and that females tended to prefer loving-kindness more than males. Conversely, preferences for open monitoring were predicted by nonreactivity and nonjudgment of present moment experiences. Additionally, higher state mindfulness was detected for individuals’ preferred technique relative to other alternatives. These findings suggest that individuals tend to prefer techniques compatible with their personalities, as the predictor variables encompass trait capacities specifically relevant to practicing these techniques. Together, our results suggest the possibility that assessing individual difference and then tailoring mindfulness-based interventions to individual needs could be a useful way to improve intervention effectiveness and subsequent outcomes.

scholarly journals Effects of All-Night Driving on Selective Attention in Professional Truck Drivers: A Preliminary Functional Magnetic Resonance Study

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (17) ◽  
pp. 5409
Author(s):  
Stefan P. Gazdzinski ◽  
Marek Binder ◽  
Alicja Bortkiewicz ◽  
Paulina Baran ◽  
Łukasz Dziuda
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Selective Attention ◽  
Cognitive Task ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance ◽  
The Neural Network ◽  
Spatially Extended

Fatigue affects multiple aspects of cognitive performance among drivers. However, even after fatigue builds up, some are still able to maintain the level of behavioral performance. To evaluate these adaptations on the neural network level, we utilized functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Seventeen male professional drivers underwent two fMRI sessions, once while rested and once in a fatigued condition after 10-h of overnight driving. The cognitive task used in the study involved the detection of visual feature conjunctions, namely the shape and the color. There were no significant differences in the task performance between the conditions except for longer reaction times in the fatigued condition. However, we observed substantial differences in the activation patterns during the cognitive task involving selective attention between the conditions. On the global level, we observed a general decrease in activation strength in the fatigued condition, which appeared to be more pronounced in the left hemisphere. On the local level, we observed a (spatially) extended activation of the medial prefrontal regions in the fatigued condition, which reflected increased cognitive control mechanisms compensating for the diminished efficiency of mechanisms involved in meeting task demands.

scholarly journals The truth revisited: Bayesian analysis of individual differences in the truth effect

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Schnuerch ◽  
Lena Nadarevic ◽  
Jeffrey Rouder
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Model Comparison ◽  
Bayes Factor ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
Cognitive Task ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Truth Effect ◽  
Negative Truth ◽  
Positive Truth

The repetition-induced truth effect refers to a phenomenon where people rate repeated statements as more likely true than novel statements. In this paper we document qualitative individual differences in the effect. While the overwhelming majority of participants display the usual positive truth effect, a minority are the opposite – they reliably discount the validity of repeated statements, what we refer to as negative truth effect. We examine 8 truth-effect data sets where individual-level data are curated. These sets are composed of 1,105 individuals performing 38,904 judgments. Through Bayes factor model comparison, we show that reliable negative truth effects occur in 5 of the 8 data sets. The negative truth effect is informative because it seems unreasonable that the mechanisms mediating the positive truth effect are the same that lead to a discounting of repeated statements' validity. Moreover, the presence of qualitative differences motivates a different type of analysis of individual differences based on ordinal (i.e., Which sign does the effect have?) rather than metric measures. To our knowledge, this paper reports the first such reliable qualitative differences in a cognitive task.

Quantifying the Effects of Multi-Tasking on Processing Efficiency

2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 1717-1721
Author(s):  
Elizabeth L. Fox ◽  
Joseph W. Houpt
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
System Design ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Task Characteristics ◽  
Baseline Model ◽  
Processing Efficiency ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Unique Individual ◽  
And Task ◽  
Task Environments

The type and amount of task demands that humans must simultaneously process and respond to influences how efficient they are in completing the tasks. Capturing how and to what degree human efficiency changes in different task environments is crucial to inform an appropriate system design. An individual-based analytic approach is necessary to accurately capture performance changes and lend practical suggestions. We can provide designers with the amount and type of task demands that we expect a person to sustain adequate performance given their unique underlying cognitive properties. We develop a metric, multi-tasking throughput (MT), that provides the extent to which a person processes tasks more efficiently, the same, or less efficiently when required to complete several different types of tasks at once. This is a cognitive-based, standardized metric; meaning it yields the relative degree of change from a baseline model that is created to accommodate to unique individual differences, numbers of tasks, and task characteristics. We quantify MT by using transformations of RTs to predict the extent that external demands of multi-tasking exceeds what the cognitive system can accommodate to thereby hindering performance. We use a real world dual-task application to highlight the apparent differences in strategy and ability across individuals and alternative task environments.

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