scholarly journals Adjustment of cognitive control to the frequency of dual-task interference

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michal Olszanowski ◽  
Natalia Szostak
Keyword(s):  
Task Performance ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Secondary Task ◽  
Control Experiment ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Primary Task ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
Dual Task Performance ◽  
High Level ◽  
Dual Task Interference

This study explored whether the control mechanisms recruited for optimising performance are similar for dual-task and interference-task settings. We tested whether the frequency of appearance of a secondary task resulted in an adjustment of anticipatory and reflexive forms of attentional control, as has been observed with other interference tasks (e.g. stroop and flanker). The results of two experiments demonstrated a proportion congruency effect (PCE): when a secondary task frequently appeared, primary task performance was slower. Additionally, there was a relative slowdown of dual-task performance in blocks wherein the secondary task appeared infrequently compared to blocks wherein it appeared frequently. However, this slowdown occurred when the primary task entailed a low level of control (Experiment 1) but was absent when it demanded a high level of control (Experiment 2). Overall, the results suggest that level of control can be adjusted to task demands related to the frequency of the secondary task.

Cost of Dual-Task Performance in Tactile Perception Is Greater for Competing Tasks of the Same Type

Perception ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (5) ◽  
pp. 515-538
Author(s):  
Dacey Nguyen ◽  
James Brown ◽  
David Alais
Keyword(s):  
Task Performance ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Secondary Task ◽  
Task Type ◽  
Primary Task ◽  
Left Hand ◽  
Dual Task Performance ◽  
Tactile Modality ◽  
The Right ◽  
Secondary Stimulus

This study examines dual-task performance in the tactile modality and tests whether dual-task cost depends on task type. Experiment 1 involved competing tasks of the same type, using a primary localisation task on the left hand and a secondary localisation task on the right hand. In Experiment 2, the primary task on the left hand remained the same, while an intensity discrimination task was used as the secondary task on the right hand. Subjects in both experiments completed three conditions: the primary task alone, a dual-task condition, and the primary task with the secondary stimulus present but no response required. Across both experiments, performance on the primary task was best when it was presented alone, and there was a performance decrement when the secondary stimulus was present but not responded to. Performance on the primary task was further decreased when participants had to respond to the secondary stimulus, and the decrease was larger when the secondary task was localisation rather than discrimination. This result indicates that task type in the tactile modality may modulate the attentional cost of dual-task performance and implies partially shared resources underlie localisation and intensity discrimination.

scholarly journals Dual Task Interference During Gait in People With Parkinson Disease: Effects of Motor Versus Cognitive Secondary Tasks

2002 ◽  
Vol 82 (9) ◽  
pp. 888-897 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simone O'Shea ◽  
Meg E Morris ◽  
Robert Iansek
Keyword(s):  
Task Performance ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Secondary Task ◽  
Stride Length ◽  
Gait Cycle ◽  
Comparison Group ◽  
Task Interference ◽  
Dual Task Performance ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Dual Task Interference

Abstract Background and Purpose. Exacerbation of movement disorders while doing 2 tasks (dual task performance) is a characteristic feature of Parkinson disease (PD). The aim of this investigation was to identify whether the type of secondary task (motor or cognitive) determined the severity of dual task interference. Subjects and Methods. Footstep patterns for 15 people with PD and 15 comparison subjects without PD were compared when they walked: (1) at a self-selected speed, (2) while simultaneously performing a motor task (coin transference), and (3) while simultaneously performing a cognitive task (digit subtraction). Gait speed, stride length, cadence, and the percentage of the gait cycle in double-limb stance (DS) were examined with a computerized stride analyzer. Results. When there was no second task, the mean stride length was less in the group with PD (1.29 m) than in the comparison group (1.51 m), and the mean gait speed was less in the group with PD (71.47 m/min) than in the comparison group (87.29 m/min). The mean cadence was less in the group with PD (110.79 steps/min) than in the comparison group (115.81 steps/min). The percentage of the gait cycle in DS was greater in the group with PD (33.38%) than in the comparison group (31.21%). Both groups reduced their stride length and speed when they had to change from unitask performance to dual task performance and DS increased. For the group with PD, cadence also decreased. For both groups, the type of secondary task had a negligible effect on the performance decrement. Discussion and Conclusion. Although the performance of simultaneous motor or cognitive tasks compromised gait in people with PD, the type of secondary task was not a major determinant of the severity of dual task interference.

Measuring Attentional Demand in Continuous Dual-task Performance

1997 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 821-840 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick A. Bourke
Keyword(s):  
Task Performance ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Alternative Possibility ◽  
Interval Scale ◽  
Attentional Demand ◽  
Attentional Demands ◽  
Intuitive Appeal ◽  
Dual Task Performance ◽  
General Limit ◽  
Dual Task Interference

Despite its intuitive appeal, the commonly held assumption that there is some general limitation on dual-task performance has been shown to be seriously flawed (Allport 1980; Navon 1984). Central to this has been the inability to measure the attentional demands of tasks, without which there is no way to determine whether their joint demands exceed the hypothetical general limit. In the absence of such a measure, dual-task interference can always be explained by the alternative possibility that specific interference has occurred. A method is described in which the attentional demands of tasks can be measured and cross validated by the use of two scales. Two experiments are described in which a general attentional limit is found; the measurement of attentional demand is consistent across scales and can be made at a level of precision approximating that of an interval scale.

Does Secondary Task Measure Outcome Conflict or Resource Allocation?

1992 ◽  
Vol 36 (18) ◽  
pp. 1398-1402
Author(s):  
Pamela S. Tsang ◽  
Tonya L. Shaner
Keyword(s):  
Resource Allocation ◽  
Task Performance ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Secondary Task ◽  
Tracking Error ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Primary Task ◽  
Memory Probe ◽  
Temporal Predictability ◽  
Task Measure

The secondary task technique was used to test two alternative explanations of dual task decrement: outcome conflict and resource allocation. Subjects time-shared a continuous tracking task and a discrete Sternberg memory task. The memory probes were presented under three temporal predictability conditions. Dual task performance decrements in both the tracking and memory tasks suggested that the two tasks competed for some common resources, processes, or mechanisms. Although performance decrements were consistent with both the outcome conflict and resource allocation explanations, the two explanations propose different mechanisms by which the primary task could be protected from interference from the concurrent secondary task. The primary task performance could be protected by resource allocation or by strategic sequencing of the processing of the two tasks in order to avoid outcome conflict. In addition to examining the global trial means, moment-by-moment tracking error time-locked to the memory probe was also analyzed. There was little indication that the primary task was protected by resequencing of the processing of the two tasks. This together with the suggestion that predictable memory probes led to better protected primary task performance than less predictable memory probes lend support for the resource explanation.

scholarly journals The Association between High Neuroticism-Low Extraversion and Dual-Task Performance during Walking While Talking in Non-demented Older Adults

2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 519-530 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brittany C. LeMonda ◽  
Jeannette R. Mahoney ◽  
Joe Verghese ◽  
Roee Holtzer
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Task Performance ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Adverse Outcomes ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Gait Velocity ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Dual Task Performance

AbstractThe Walking While Talking (WWT) dual-task paradigm is a mobility stress test that predicts major outcomes, including falls, frailty, disability, and mortality in aging. Certain personality traits, such as neuroticism, extraversion, and their combination, have been linked to both cognitive and motor outcomes. We examined whether individual differences in personality dimensions of neuroticism and extraversion predicted dual-task performance decrements (both motor and cognitive) on a WWT task in non-demented older adults. We hypothesized that the combined effect of high neuroticism-low extraversion would be related to greater dual-task costs in gait velocity and cognitive performance in non-demented older adults. Participants (N=295; age range,=65–95 years; female=164) completed the Big Five Inventory and WWT task involving concurrent gait and a serial 7’s subtraction task. Gait velocity was obtained using an instrumented walkway. The high neuroticism-low extraversion group incurred greater dual-task costs (i.e., worse performance) in both gait velocity {95% confidence interval (CI) [−17.68 to −3.07]} and cognitive performance (95% CI [−19.34 to −2.44]) compared to the low neuroticism-high extraversion group, suggesting that high neuroticism-low extraversion interferes with the allocation of attentional resources to competing task demands during the WWT task. Older individuals with high neuroticism-low extraversion may be at higher risk for falls, mobility decline and other adverse outcomes in aging. (JINS, 2015, 21, 519–530)

Controlling for Individual Differences in a Dual-Task Setting: Equating the Baselines of Single Task Performance

2001 ◽  
Vol 45 (13) ◽  
pp. 916-920
Author(s):  
Bradley Chase ◽  
Holly M. Irwin-Chase ◽  
Jaclyn T. Sonico
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Task Performance ◽  
Stimulus Duration ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Secondary Task ◽  
Human Performance ◽  
Visual Task ◽  
Primary Task ◽  
Individual Participant ◽  
The Individual

Individual differences in human performance is an issue that confounds many studies and has not been properly controlled in the ergonomics/human factors literature. This paper examines the concept of individual differences in performance primarily from the perspective of cognitive performance. A study was designed to test the effect of a secondary visual task on a primary visual task. In one condition, participants performed the dual task, while assigning no weight to the secondary task. In the second condition, the primary task was performed simultaneously with the secondary task. The effect of the added workload was measured via the effect on primary task performance. In the baseline portion of the task participants had their baseline (80–90% accuracy) of performance collected by adjusting the stimulus duration. The individual participant stimulus duration was then used as the experimental stimulus duration and the effect of secondary task performance on primary task performance was measured.

Change Detection on Periphery and Dual-Task Performance

2002 ◽  
Vol 46 (17) ◽  
pp. 1645-1648 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mon-Chu Chen ◽  
Filipe Fortes ◽  
Roberta Klatzky ◽  
William Long
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Visual Field ◽  
Change Detection ◽  
Task Performance ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Detection Rate ◽  
Peripheral Vision ◽  
Primary Task ◽  
Peripheral Stimulus ◽  
Dual Task Performance

A variation of the Wickens' Task was performed to examine the assumption that people can detect certain stimuli on their periphery without decreasing the performance of the primary task. Participants were instructed to respond to a change in a peripheral stimulus without shifting their gaze from a primary task in the center of their visual field. Our data suggests that both type and magnitude of change have a significant effect on detection rate and reaction time. The data also suggests that the performance of the primary task did not decay after the change of the stimuli occurred. Based on these findings, we argue that people can detect various types of changes without shifting gaze and without degrading task performance. Therefore, an interface particularly designed for peripheral vision is possible, and it will potentially provide benefits to both productivity and safety.

Effect of Template Complexity on Visual Search and Dual-Task Performance

2005 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 208-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick A. Bourke ◽  
John Duncan
Keyword(s):  
Visual Search ◽  
Reaction Time ◽  
Task Performance ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Search Time ◽  
Concurrent Task ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Biased Competition ◽  
Task Control ◽  
Dual Task Performance

Even dissimilar tasks interfere with one another when done together. We used visual search to examine the underlying cause of such interference. In many models, visual search is a process of biased competition controlled by a template describing the target to be sought. When the display is processed, matching against this template guides attention to the target. We show that increasing template complexity increased interference with a dissimilar concurrent task, story memory. This result was independent of reaction time: Increases in template complexity were associated with no increase in search time in Experiment 1 and with a decrease in search time in Experiment 2. The results show that the dual-task demands of visual search reflect the complexity of the template used in task control, and that this factor can be isolated from other sources of difficulty.

scholarly journals Dual-task Interference in a Simulated Driving Environment: Serial or Parallel Processing?

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mojtaba Abbas-Zadeh ◽  
Gholam-Ali Hossein-Zadeh ◽  
Maryam Vaziri-Pashkam
Keyword(s):  
Task Performance ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Task Condition ◽  
Desktop Computer ◽  
Task Interference ◽  
Dual Task Condition ◽  
Simulated Driving ◽  
Evidence Accumulation ◽  
Dual Task Performance ◽  
Dual Task Interference

AbstractWhen humans are required to perform two tasks concurrently, their performances decrease as the two tasks get closer together in time. This effect is known as dual-task interference. This limitation of the human brain could have lethal effects during demanding everyday tasks such as driving. Are the two tasks processed serially or in parallel during dual-task performance in naturalistic settings? Here, we investigated dual-task interference in a simulated driving environment and investigated the serial/parallel nature of processing during dual-task performance. Participants performed a lane change task on a desktop computer, along with an image discrimination task. We systematically varied the time difference between the onset of the two tasks (Stimulus Onset Asynchrony, SOA) and measured its effect on the amount of dual-task interference. Results showed that the reaction times (RTs) of two tasks in the dual-task condition were higher than those in the single-task condition. SOA influenced RTs of both tasks when they were presented second and the RTs of the image task when it was presented first. Manipulating the predictability of the order of the two tasks, we showed that unpredictability attenuated the effect of SOA by changing the order of the response to the two tasks. Next, using drift-diffusion modeling, we modeled the reaction time and choice of the subjects during dual-task performance in both predictable and unpredictable task order conditions. The modeling results indicated that performing two tasks concurrently, affects both the rate of evidence accumulation and the delays outside the evidence accumulation period, suggesting that the two tasks are performed in a partial-parallel manner. These results extend the findings of previous dual-task experiments to more naturalistic settings and deepen our understanding of the mechanisms of dual-task interference.

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.

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