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Gepubliceerd in: Psychological Research 1/2018

30-08-2017 | Original Article

The impact of free-order and sequential-order instructions on task-order regulation in dual tasks

Auteurs: Sebastian Kübler, Christina B. Reimer, Tilo Strobach, Torsten Schubert

Gepubliceerd in: Psychological Research | Uitgave 1/2018

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Abstract

Dual tasks (DTs) are characterized by the requirement for additional mechanisms that coordinate the processing order of two temporally overlapping tasks. These mechanisms are indicated by two types of costs that occur when comparing DT blocks with fixed and random orders of the component tasks. On a block level, task-order control costs are reflected in increased reaction times (RTs) in random-order compared to fixed-order blocks, indicating global, monitoring-based, coordination mechanisms. On a trial level, within random-order blocks, order-switch costs are indicated by increased RTs on order switch compared to order repetition trials, reflecting memory-based mechanisms that guide task-order in DTs. To test the nature of these mechanisms in two experiments, participants performed DTs in fixed- and random-order blocks. In random-order blocks, participants were either instructed to respond to both tasks according to the order of task presentation (sequential-order instruction) or instructed to freely decide in which order to perform both tasks (free-order instruction). As a result of both experiments, we demonstrated that task-order control costs were reduced under the free-order compared to the sequential-order instruction, whereas order-switch costs were not affected by our instruction manipulation. This pattern of results suggests that the task-order control costs reflect global processes of task-order regulation such as engaging monitoring processes that are sensitive to changes in order instructions, while order-switch costs reflect rather local memory-based mechanisms that occur irrespective of any effort to coordinate task-order.
Voetnoten
1
To further analyze the lacking effect of the instruction manipulation on order switch costs, we applied Bayesian-like interference testing. According to Wagenmakers (2007), we tested the posterior probability (Pr(H0|D)) of a hypothesis assuming a missing interaction of the factors Instruction group and Trial type versus a hypothesis assuming a significant interaction of these factors by calculating the Bayesian information criterion (BIC) between both. With ∆BIC = 3.66 and Pr(H0|D) = 0.86 this analysis provides ‘positive’ evidence for the assumption that order-switch costs did not differ between both groups.
 
2
As in Experiment 1, we tested the posterior probability (Pr(H0|D)) of a hypothesis assuming a missing interaction of the factors Instruction group and Trial type versus a hypothesis assuming a significant interaction of these factors by calculating the Bayesian information criterion (BIC). With ∆BIC = 3.07 and Pr(H0|D) = 0.82 this analysis provides ‘positive’ evidence for the assumption that order-switch costs do not differ between the sequential- and the free-order instruction condition.
 
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Metagegevens
Titel
The impact of free-order and sequential-order instructions on task-order regulation in dual tasks
Auteurs
Sebastian Kübler
Christina B. Reimer
Tilo Strobach
Torsten Schubert
Publicatiedatum
30-08-2017
Uitgeverij
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Gepubliceerd in
Psychological Research / Uitgave 1/2018
Print ISSN: 0340-0727
Elektronisch ISSN: 1430-2772
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00426-017-0910-6

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