Manipulating Task Preparation via Verbalisations Does Not Affect Inhibition in Set Switching

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
James A. Grange
Keyword(s):  
Task Preparation ◽  
Set Switching

A Review of the Role of Cue Processing in Task Switching

2013 ◽  
Vol 221 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerstin Jost ◽  
Wouter De Baene ◽  
Iring Koch ◽  
Marcel Brass
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Task Switching ◽  
Task Switch ◽  
Task Set ◽  
Switch Costs ◽  
Set Switching ◽  
Controversial Topic ◽  
Cue Encoding ◽  
Cue Processing

The role of cue processing has become a controversial topic in research on cognitive control using task-switching procedures. Some authors suggested a priming account to explain switch costs as a form of encoding benefit when the cue from the previous trial is repeated and hence challenged theories that attribute task-switch costs to task-set (re)configuration. A rich body of empirical evidence has evolved that indeed shows that cue-encoding repetition priming is an important component in task switching. However, these studies also demonstrate that there are usually substantial “true” task-switch costs. Here, we review this behavioral, electrophysiological, and brain imaging evidence. Moreover, we describe alternative approaches to the explicit task-cuing procedure, such as the usage of transition cues or the task-span procedure. In addition, we address issues related to the type of cue, such as cue transparency. We also discuss methodological and theoretical implications and argue that the explicit task-cuing procedure is suitable to address issues of cognitive control and task-set switching.

The art of planning ahead: when do we prepare for the future and when is it effective? (under review)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Huijser ◽  
Niels Anne Taatgen ◽  
Marieke K. van Vugt
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Task Difficulty ◽  
Memory Load ◽  
Working Memory Load ◽  
Task Preparation ◽  
Memory Integration ◽  
The Future ◽  
Dual Task Paradigm ◽  
Consistent Support

Preparing for the future during ongoing activities is an essential skill. Yet, it is currently unclear to what extent we can prepare for the future in parallel with another task. In two experiments, we investigated how characteristics of a present task influenced whether and when participants prepared for the future, as well as its usefulness. We focused on the influence of concurrent working memory load, assuming that working memory would interfere most strongly with preparation. In both experiments, participants performed a novel sequential dual-task paradigm, in which they could voluntary prepare for a second task while performing a first task. We identified task preparation by means of eye tracking, through detecting when participants switched their gaze from the first to the second task. The results showed that participants prepared productively, as evidenced by faster RTs on the second task, with only a small cost to the present task. The probability of preparation and its productiveness decreased with general increases in present task difficulty. In contrast to our prediction, we found some but no consistent support for influence of concurrent working memory load on preparation. Only for concurrent high working memory load (i.e., two items in memory), we observed strong interference with preparation. We conclude that preparation is affected by present task difficulty, potentially due to decreased opportunities for preparation and changes in multitasking strategy. Furthermore, the interference from holding two items may reflect that concurrent preparation is compromised when working memory integration is required by both processes.

Functional Delineation of Prefrontal Networks Underlying Working Memory in Schizophrenia: A Cross-data-set Examination

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-29
Author(s):  
Nicole Sanford ◽  
Todd S. Woodward
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Mixed Model ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Generation Task ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Set Switching ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal ◽  
Task Conditions ◽  
Experiment Analysis ◽  
Internal Attention

Abstract Background: Working memory (WM) impairment in schizophrenia substantially impacts functional outcome. Although the dorsolateral pFC has been implicated in such impairment, a more comprehensive examination of brain networks comprising pFC is warranted. The present research used a whole-brain, multi-experiment analysis to delineate task-related networks comprising pFC. Activity was examined in schizophrenia patients across a variety of cognitive demands. Methods: One hundred schizophrenia patients and 102 healthy controls completed one of four fMRI tasks: a Sternberg verbal WM task, a visuospatial WM task, a Stroop set-switching task, and a thought generation task (TGT). Task-related networks were identified using multi-experiment constrained PCA for fMRI. Effects of task conditions and group differences were examined using mixed-model ANOVA on the task-related time series. Correlations between task performance and network engagement were also performed. Results: Four spatially and temporally distinct networks with pFC activation emerged and were postulated to subserve (1) internal attention, (2) auditory–motor attention, (3) motor responses, and (4) task energizing. The “energizing” network—engaged during WM encoding and diminished in patients—exhibited consistent trend relationships with WM capacity across different data sets. The dorsolateral-prefrontal-cortex-dominated “internal attention” network exhibited some evidence of hypoactivity in patients, but was not correlated with WM performance. Conclusions: Multi-experiment analysis allowed delineation of task-related, pFC-anchored networks across different cognitive constructs. Given the results with respect to the early-responding “energizing” network, WM deficits in schizophrenia may arise from disruption in the “energization” process described by Donald Stuss' model of pFC functions.

scholarly journals The relation of aerobic fitness to neuroelectric indices of cognitive and motor task preparation

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keita Kamijo ◽  
Kevin C. O'leary ◽  
Matthew B. Pontifex ◽  
Jason R. Themanson ◽  
Charles H. Hillman
Keyword(s):  
Aerobic Fitness ◽  
Motor Task ◽  
Task Preparation

The Influence of Attitude on the Acceptance and Use of Information Systems

2010 ◽  
pp. 1506-1534
Author(s):  
Charles J. Kacmar ◽  
Susan S. Fiorito ◽  
Jane M. Carey
Keyword(s):  
Information System ◽  
Technology Acceptance ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Nomological Network ◽  
Modeling Instruction ◽  
Task Preparation ◽  
Output Quality ◽  
System Use ◽  
Acceptance Model ◽  
Merchandise Planning

The nomological network of the technology acceptance model is expanded through the addition of affective and task-preparation variables as antecedents to traditional predictors of technology acceptance:output quality, result demonstrability, and ease of use. An empirical study involving a visual/simulation information system, set in the domain of retail merchandise planning, finds that negative affectivity (NA) is a consistent and strong negative antecedent to perceptions of output quality, result demonstrability, and ease of use. In contrast, positive affectivity (PA) is a significant and positive antecedent to ease of use, but not necessarily a significant antecedent to either output quality or result demonstrability. A new construct developed from the job characteristics literature—perceived task preparation—measured the subject’s perceptions of the pre-system usage training, which included task design and modeling instruction, scenarios of activities within the prospective information system, discussions and review of the system documentation, and highly structured, pre-task system use activities. Perceived task preparation was found to be a significant and strong positive indicator of computer self-efficacy.

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