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

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teodóra Vékony ◽  
Lilla Török ◽  
Felipe Pedraza ◽  
Kate Schipper ◽  
Claire Plèche ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dual Task ◽  
Sequence Learning ◽  
Secondary Task ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
Concurrent Task ◽  
Sequence Information ◽  
Task Effect ◽  
Task Conditions

AbstractThe characteristics of acquiring new sequence information under dual-task situations have been extensively studied so far. Such a concurrent task has often been found to affect performance. In real life, however, we mostly perform a secondary task when the primary one 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 a well-acquired probabilistic sequence knowledge is affected by a concurrent task. Participants acquired non-adjacent regularities in a perceptual-motor implicit probabilistic sequence learning task. After a 24-hour offline period, participants were tested on the same 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 task, the 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.

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.

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.

scholarly journals Executive control by fronto-parietal activity explains counterintuitive decision behavior in complex value-based decision-making

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teppei Matsui ◽  
Yoshiki Hattori ◽  
Kaho Tsumura ◽  
Ryuta Aoki ◽  
Masaki Takeda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Reaction Time ◽  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Behavioral Effect ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
Probabilistic Uncertainty ◽  
Task Conditions

In real life, humans make decisions by taking into account multiple independent factors, such as delay and probability. Cognitive psychology suggests that cognitive control mechanisms play a key role when facing such complex task conditions. However, in value-based decision-making, it still remains unclear to what extent cognitive control mechanisms become essential when the task condition is complex. In this study, we investigated decision-making behaviors and underlying neural mechanisms using a multifactor gambling task where participants simultaneously considered probability and delay. Decision-making behavior in the multifactor task was modulated by both probability and delay. The behavioral effect of probability was stronger than delay, consistent with previous studies. Furthermore, in a subset of conditions that recruited fronto-parietal activations, reaction times were paradoxically elongated despite lower probabilistic uncertainty. Notably, such a reaction time elongation did not occur in control tasks involving single factors. Meta-analysis of brain activations suggested an association between the paradoxical increase of reaction time and strategy switching. Together, these results suggest a novel aspect of complex value-based decision-makings that is strongly influenced by fronto-parietal cognitive control.

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.

Speech Motor Sequence Learning: Effect of Parkinson Disease and Normal Aging on Dual-Task Performance

2017 ◽  
Vol 60 (6S) ◽  
pp. 1752-1765 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason A. Whitfield ◽  
Alexander M. Goberman
Keyword(s):  
Motor Learning ◽  
Parkinson Disease ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Sequence Learning ◽  
Motor Sequence ◽  
Adult Group ◽  
Task Interference ◽  
Task Conditions ◽  
Dual Task Interference ◽  
Speech Motor

Purpose Everyday communication is carried out concurrently with other tasks. Therefore, determining how dual tasks interfere with newly learned speech motor skills can offer insight into the cognitive mechanisms underlying speech motor learning in Parkinson disease (PD). The current investigation examines a recently learned speech motor sequence under dual-task conditions. Method A previously learned sequence of 6 monosyllabic nonwords was examined using a dual-task paradigm. Participants repeated the sequence while concurrently performing a visuomotor task, and performance on both tasks was measured in single- and dual-task conditions. Results The younger adult group exhibited little to no dual-task interference on the accuracy and duration of the sequence. The older adult group exhibited variability in dual-task costs, with the group as a whole exhibiting an intermediate, though significant, amount of dual-task interference. The PD group exhibited the largest degree of bidirectional dual-task interference among all the groups. Conclusions These data suggest that PD affects the later stages of speech motor learning, as the dual-task condition interfered with production of the recently learned sequence beyond the effect of normal aging. Because the basal ganglia is critical for the later stages of motor sequence learning, the observed deficits may result from the underlying neural dysfunction associated with PD.

scholarly journals Real Life Does Not Always Get in the Way: Verbal Memory and the Sustained Attention to Response Task

2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 234-238
Author(s):  
Samantha L. Smith ◽  
Graham K. Edgar ◽  
Paul N. Russell ◽  
William S. Helton
Keyword(s):  
Sustained Attention ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Ecological Validity ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Dual Task Condition ◽  
Response Task ◽  
Task Conditions

The Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART) is a go/no-go task where participants must respond frequently to target stimuli and withhold responses from infrequent neutral stimuli. Researchers have shown that the fast and frequent responding characteristic of SART is typically associated with difficulty withholding responses to no-go stimuli. Imposing additional cognitive demands has been shown to further impair task performance. In the present research, participants completed a modified SART task, a narrative memory task, and a dual-task condition where both were done simultaneously. No significant performance impairments were found in the dual- compared to single-task conditions. The tasks’ non-overlapping resource demands, alongside a potential arousing benefit of the memory task, may explain the lack of notable dual-task interference. Future research is needed to better understand the effects of arousal and other factors that may help to uncouple errors of commission from response time, particularly in tasks with high ecological validity.

Multisensory Congruency Enhances Explicit Awareness in a Sequence Learning Task

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 681-689 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew E. Silva ◽  
Brandon K. Barakat ◽  
Luis O. Jimenez ◽  
Ladan Shams
Keyword(s):  
Sequence Learning ◽  
Explicit Knowledge ◽  
Strong Association ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Repeated Sequence ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
Explicit Learning ◽  
Motor Responses ◽  
Two Measures

We examined the effect of audiovisual training on learning a repeated sequence of motor responses. Participants were trained with either congruent or incongruent audiovisual cues to produce motor responses. Learning was tested by comparing reaction times to untrained sequences and by asking participants to recreate the trained sequence. A strong association was found between the two measures and the majority of high-scoring participants belonged to the congruent audiovisual condition. Because the second measure requires explicit knowledge of the trained sequence, we conclude that audiovisual congruency facilitates explicit learning.

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.

Conceptualization of task boundaries preserves implicit sequence learning under dual-task conditions

2013 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 1005-1010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberly M. Halvorson ◽  
Tana Truelove Wagschal ◽  
Eliot Hazeltine
Keyword(s):  
Dual Task ◽  
Sequence Learning ◽  
Implicit Sequence Learning ◽  
Task Conditions
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