A Dual-Task Paradigm to Study the Interference Reduction in the Simon Task

2015 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 75-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabel Suarez ◽  
Franck Vidal ◽  
Boris Burle ◽  
Laurence Casini
Keyword(s):  
Dual Task ◽  
Interference Effect ◽  
Secondary Task ◽  
Simon Task ◽  
Critical Factor ◽  
Response Speed ◽  
Exact Nature ◽  
Distribution Analysis ◽  
Secondary Tasks ◽  
Task Conditions

Analyzing RT distributions in the Simon task reveals that congruency effects decrease for the longest RTs. Four experiments were carried out to examine whether this decrease of the congruency effect with response speed was under a top-down control or due to bottom-up mechanisms. We specifically manipulated the availability of attentional resources by requiring participants to perform a Simon task concurrently to different secondary tasks. RT distribution analysis (in particular delta functions) was performed under both single-task and dual-task conditions. Results show that the reduction of the interference effect with time could be affected when the Simon task was performed concurrently with a secondary task. Nonetheless, the type of the secondary task seems to be a critical factor. Therefore, the data suggest that the mechanisms responsible for the reduction of the interference effect with time are under some attentional control but the exact nature of these mechanisms remains to be explored.

Influência da demanda atencional e instrução no teste levantar, caminhar e sentar

1970 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno R. Leite ◽  
Sandra R. Alouche ◽  
Jéssica P. Estevam ◽  
Samara M. Abdouni ◽  
Sandra M.S.F. Freitas
Keyword(s):  
Dual Task ◽  
Secondary Task ◽  
Attentional Focus ◽  
Lateral Side ◽  
Movement Variability ◽  
Timed Up And Go ◽  
Secondary Tasks ◽  
External Focus ◽  
Concurrent Tasks ◽  
Dual Task Paradigm

Abstract: The activities of standing, walking and sitting performed in association with other tasks (e.g., holding an object) are very common in our everyday lives. The performance of these concurrent tasks may require greater attentional demand. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to evaluate the performance of young healthy adults on the "Timed Up and Go" (TUG) test on the dual task paradigm. Twelve young adults performed the TUG test in four conditions: a) no secondary task; b) with a task of holding a tube with both hands without defined attentional focus; c) holding the tube with internal attentional focus (i.e., minimize the hands motion); and, d) holding the tube with external attentional focus (i.e., minimize the movement of a light from a laser pointer fixed to the tube which reflected on a target placed on the wall). A digital chronometer was used to record the time taken to complete the tests. The time spent in the conditions with secundary task relative to the original TUG test was also analyzed. The movement variability of the tube was assessed by recording the kinematics of markers placed on the lateral side of the tube. Analyses of variance were used to compare the total and relative time and tube variability across conditions. More time was necessary to complete the TUG test when specific instruction about the secondary task was given, mainly when related to the movement of the tube (external focus). However, the variability of the tube was also smallest in that condition. Therefore, the addition of a secondary task (holding a tube) affects the performance of TUG only when specific instructions on the attentional focus are given in particular about external effects of the secondary task.Key Words: Time up and Go test, dual task, attentional focus, secondary tasks.

Channel Capacity and Locus of Interference under Dual Task Conditions

1978 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 659-666 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wade R. Helm ◽  
Robert P. Fishburne ◽  
Wayne L. Waag
Keyword(s):  
Dual Task ◽  
Secondary Task ◽  
Response Selection ◽  
Processing System ◽  
Processing Capacity ◽  
Joint Function ◽  
Maximum Information ◽  
Attention Effect ◽  
Task Processing ◽  
Task Conditions

Two experiments were performed in order to determine subjects' maximum information-processing capacity under dual task conditions and to provide empirical evidence regarding the localization of the divided attention effect. The results suggest that performance on the primary task deteriorates as a joint function of both primary and secondary task processing loads. These data support the locus of interference being within the control-processing (memory-dependent) and response-selection stages of the processing system.

Effects of Category and Rhyme Decisions on Sentence Production

2002 ◽  
Vol 45 (5) ◽  
pp. 844-857 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans-Georg Bosshardt ◽  
Waltraud Ballmer ◽  
Luc F. de Nil
Keyword(s):  
Dual Task ◽  
Speech Rate ◽  
Sentence Production ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Sentence Generation ◽  
Secondary Tasks ◽  
Single Task ◽  
Dependent Variables ◽  
Dual Versus ◽  
Task Conditions

The aim of the present experiment was to investigate differences between persons who stutter and persons who do not stutter during the production of sentences in a single task versus two dual-task conditions. Participants were required to form a sentence containing 2 unrelated nouns. In dual-task conditions, rhyme and category decisions were used as secondary tasks. The results for 14 adults who stutter and 16 adults who do not stutter are reported. Dependent variables were the number of correct rhyme and category decisions, decision latencies, length, number of propositions, sentence latency, speech rate of sentences, disfluencies, and stuttering rates. The results indicated that both groups reduced the average number of correct rhyme and category decisions when this task was performed concurrently with sentence generation and production. Similarly, the 2 groups of participants did not differ with respect to the correctness and latency of their decisions. Under single-task conditions the sentences of both groups had a comparable number of propositions. But under dual- as compared with singletask conditions persons who stutter significantly reduced the number of propositions whereas persons who do not stutter did not show a significant dual- versus single-task contrast. Experimental conditions did not significantly influence stuttering rates. These results suggest that persons who stutter require more processing capacity for sentence generation and articulation than persons who do not stutter and that both groups keep stuttering rates at a constant level by adjusting the number of propositional units of their linguistic productions. The results support the view that the organization of the speech-production system of persons who stutter makes it more vulnerable to interference from concurrent attention-demanding semantic tasks.

Does Working Memory Enhance or Interfere With Speech Fluency in Adults Who Do and Do Not Stutter? Evidence From a Dual-Task Paradigm

2016 ◽  
Vol 59 (3) ◽  
pp. 415-429 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naomi Eichorn ◽  
Klara Marton ◽  
Richard G. Schwartz ◽  
Robert D. Melara ◽  
Steven Pirutinsky
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Secondary Task ◽  
Clinical Intervention ◽  
Speaking Rate ◽  
Unique Combination ◽  
Speech Fluency ◽  
Dual Task Paradigm ◽  
Task Conditions ◽  
Speaking Task

Purpose The present study examined whether engaging working memory in a secondary task benefits speech fluency. Effects of dual-task conditions on speech fluency, rate, and errors were examined with respect to predictions derived from three related theoretical accounts of disfluencies. Method Nineteen adults who stutter and twenty adults who do not stutter participated in the study. All participants completed 2 baseline tasks: a continuous-speaking task and a working-memory (WM) task involving manipulations of domain, load, and interstimulus interval. In the dual-task portion of the experiment, participants simultaneously performed the speaking task with each unique combination of WM conditions. Results All speakers showed similar fluency benefits and decrements in WM accuracy as a result of dual-task conditions. Fluency effects were specific to atypical forms of disfluency and were comparable across WM-task manipulations. Changes in fluency were accompanied by reductions in speaking rate but not by corresponding changes in overt errors. Conclusions Findings suggest that WM contributes to disfluencies regardless of stuttering status and that engaging WM resources while speaking enhances fluency. Further research is needed to verify the cognitive mechanism involved in this effect and to determine how these findings can best inform clinical intervention.

EXAMINING THE RELATIVE EFFECTS OF TASK COMPLEXITY AND COGNITIVE DEMANDS ON STUDENTS’ WRITING IN A SECOND LANGUAGE

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Ting Sophia Xu ◽  
Lawrence Jun Zhang ◽  
Janet S. Gaffney
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Task Complexity ◽  
L2 Writing ◽  
Task Group ◽  
Cognitive Demands ◽  
Secondary Tasks ◽  
Single Task ◽  
Task Conditions ◽  
Writing Task

Abstract While many studies have investigated the effect of task complexity on L2 writing, little has been reported on the effects of intended task complexity manipulations on task-generated cognitive demands in L2 writing. This study, therefore, was designed to examine the relative effects of task complexity and cognitive demands on students’ L2 writing. Two argumentative writing tasks were manipulated with varying numbers of elements and reasoning demands to be distinguished either as a simple or complex writing task. Self-ratings and dual-task methodology were adopted to validate the manipulations of task complexity. Thirty-one L2 learners, in the single-task group, were asked to complete two writing tasks and a post-task questionnaire. Participants in the dual-task conditions (30 in Experimental 1 and 31 in Experimental 2) were required to simultaneously complete the primary writing tasks and the secondary tasks. Results from self-ratings and dual-task experiments supported the efficacy of the task complexity manipulations.

scholarly journals Retrieval of a well-established skill is resistant to distraction: Evidence from an implicit probabilistic sequence learning task

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. e0243541 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teodóra Vékony ◽  
Lilla Török ◽  
Felipe Pedraza ◽  
Kate Schipper ◽  
Claire Pleche ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dual Task ◽  
Sequence Learning ◽  
Secondary Task ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
Concurrent Task ◽  
Sequence Information ◽  
Task Effect ◽  
Task Conditions

The characteristics of acquiring new sequence information under dual-task situations have been extensively studied. A concurrent task has often been found to affect performance. In real life, however, we mostly perform a secondary task when the primary task is already well acquired. The effect of a secondary task on the ability to retrieve well-established sequence representations remains elusive. The present study investigates whether accessing well-acquired probabilistic sequence knowledge is affected by a concurrent task. Participants acquired non-adjacent regularities in an implicit probabilistic sequence learning task. After a 24-hour offline period, participants were tested on the same probabilistic sequence learning task under dual-task or single-task conditions. Here, we show that although the secondary task significantly prolonged the overall reaction times in the primary (sequence learning) task, access to the previously learned probabilistic representations remained intact. Our results highlight the importance of studying the dual-task effect not only in the learning phase but also during memory access to reveal the robustness of the acquired skill.

Origami folding: Memory load effects on acquisition of sequential skills.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fang Zhao ◽  
Robert Gaschler ◽  
Anneli Kneschke ◽  
Simon Radler ◽  
Melanie Gausmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Learning Curve ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Secondary Task ◽  
Memory Load ◽  
Motor Memory ◽  
Secondary Tasks ◽  
Task Load ◽  
Visuospatial Sketchpad ◽  
Load Effects ◽  
The Impact

Cognitive and motor memory loads can affect sequential skills. Differentiating the execution and the acquisition of sequential skills, we studied the impact of cognitive or motoric dual-task loads on performance in Origami folding and changes with practice. Participants (N = 53) folded five Origami figures for four times each, which were randomly paired with five types of secondary tasks to cause either cognitive (verbal vs. visuospatial) or motoric (isochronous vs. nonisochronous tapping) memory load or none (control condition). Origami performance showed a typical learning curve from Repetition 1 to Repetition 4. We observed a dissociation between variants of dual-task load influencing Origami folding performance vs. the variants influencing learning (i.e. change in performance across the four repetitions). In particular, the learning of Origami folding was only interfered by the memory load of the cognitive visuospatial secondary task as well as by the isochronous tapping secondary task. This might be due to the use of visuospatial sketchpad and absolute timing mechanism during the acquisition of Origami folding. The performance of Origami folding was moderated by the isochronous tapping secondary task.

Expertise, attention, and memory in sensorimotor skill execution: Impact of novel task constraints on dual-task performance and episodic memory

2002 ◽  
Vol 55 (4) ◽  
pp. 1211-1240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sian L. Beilock ◽  
Sarah A. Wierenga ◽  
Thomas H. Carr
Keyword(s):  
Recognition Memory ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Task Performance ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Secondary Task ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Attention And Memory ◽  
Task Constraints ◽  
Episodic Memories ◽  
Task Conditions

Two experiments explored the attention and memory processes governing sensorimotor skill. Experiment 1 compared novice and experienced golf putting performance in single-task (putting in isolation) and dual-task conditions (putting while performing an auditory word search task). At specific intervals, participants also produced episodic descriptions of specific putts. Experiment 2 assessed novice performance following training on the same putting task. In Experiment 1, experienced golfers did not differ in putting accuracy from single- to dual-task conditions and, compared to novices, had higher recognition memory for words heard while putting but diminished episodic memories of specific putts. However, when using an s-shaped arbitrarily weighted “funny putter” designed to disrupt the mechanics of skill execution, experienced golfers produced extensive episodic memories of specific putts but showed decreased dual-task putting accuracy and recognition memory for secondary task words. Trained novices produced results intermediate between the untrained novices and experienced golfers. As predicted by current theories of practice-based automaticity, expertise leads to proceduralized control that does not require constant attention. Resources are free to devote to secondary task demands, yet episodic memory for primary task performance is impoverished. Novel task constraints (e.g., a funny putter) increase attention to execution, compromising secondary task performance but enhancing memory for skill execution.

Automatisation Deficits in Balance for Dyslexic Children

1992 ◽  
Vol 75 (2) ◽  
pp. 507-529 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela J. Fawcett ◽  
Roderick I. Nicolson
Keyword(s):  
Motor Skills ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Secondary Task ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Reading Process ◽  
Normal Children ◽  
Single Task ◽  
Series Of Experiments ◽  
Task Conditions

Traditional theories of dyslexia have focused on components of the reading process. The Dyslexic Automatisation Deficit hypothesis takes a broader view, attributing deficits to an inability to become completely fluent in cognitive and motor skills. A series of experiments compared the balance of 15-yr.-old and 11-yr.-old groups of dyslexic children and normal children matched for age and IQ under single-task and dual-task conditions. There were no group differences in the single-task conditions. However, introduction of a concurrent secondary task led to a dissociation in that, whereas the balance of normal children was unaffected, the dyslexic children's balance was significantly impaired. It was concluded that the normal children balanced automatically whereas the dyslexic children did not. These results directly support the proposed framework.

scholarly journals Task matters: an investigation on the effect of different secondary tasks on dual-task gait in older adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hui-Ting Goh ◽  
Miranda Pearce ◽  
Asha Vas
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Reaction Time ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Gait Speed ◽  
Cognitive Task ◽  
Cognitive Tasks ◽  
Difficulty Level ◽  
Secondary Tasks ◽  
Task Conditions

Abstract Background Dual-task gait performance declines as humans age, leading to increased fall risk among older adults. It is unclear whether different secondary cognitive tasks mediate age-related decline in dual-task gait. This study aimed to examine how type and difficulty level of the secondary cognitive tasks differentially affect dual-task gait in older adults. Methods Twenty young and twenty older adults participated in this single-session study. We employed four different types of secondary tasks and each consisted of two difficulty levels, yielding eight different dual-task conditions. The dual-task conditions included walking and 1) counting backward by 3 s or by 7 s; 2) remembering a 5-item or 7-item lists; 3) responding to a simple or choice reaction time tasks; 4) generating words from single or alternated categories. Gait speed and cognitive task performance under single- and dual-task conditions were used to compute dual-task cost (DTC, %) with a greater DTC indicating a worse performance. Results A significant three-way interaction was found for the gait speed DTC (p = .04). Increased difficulty in the reaction time task significantly increased gait speed DTC for older adults (p = .01) but not for young adults (p = .90). In contrast, increased difficulty level in the counting backward task significantly increased gait speed DTC for young adults (p = .03) but not for older adults (p = .85). Both groups responded similarly to the increased task difficulty in the other two tasks. Conclusions Older adults demonstrated a different response to dual-task challenges than young adults. Aging might have different impacts on various cognitive domains and result in distinctive dual-task gait interference patterns.

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