Abstract
Recent research has shown that humans are able to implicitly adapt to time-transition contingencies in a task-switching paradigm, indicated by better performance in trials where the task transition (switch vs. repetition) is validly predicted by the pre-target interval compared to trials with invalidly predicted transitions. As participants switched between only two different tasks, not only the transition, but also the specific task was predictable; at least indirectly when taking into account the temporally predicted transition in the current trial together with the task in the previous trial. In order to investigate if the time-based expectancy effect for transition in previous studies was due to a specific task preparation or due to an unspecific transition preparation, three different tasks were used in the present study. One of two possible pre-target intervals (500 and 1500 ms) predicted a task switch in the upcoming trial with 90 % probability, whereas the other interval predicted a task repetition with 90 % probability. Results revealed that participants were able to prepare both upcoming repetition as well as switch requirements based on predictive pre-target intervals. This means that humans seem to be able to prepare a task switch in a rather unspecific manner, most likely by inhibiting the task just performed in the previous trial. By suggesting a two-stage preparation model in which switches as well as repetitions benefit both from time-based transition expectancy, although apparently with different cognitive processes being involved, the present study provides important impulses for future research on the cognitive processes underlying human task-switching behavior.
Highlights
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR: Stefanie Aufschnaiter Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Cognition, Action, and Sustainability Unit, Department of Psychology, Engelbergerstrasse 41, 79085 Freiburg, Germany stefanie.aufschnaiter@ psychologie.uni-freiburg.de
The present study investigated whether the benefit from time-based transition expectancy in task switching
Aufschnaiter et al, 2018a) is due to an unspecific preparation of a task transition or rather due to a specific task preparation by inferring task identity based on the previous task identity and the prediction of the task transition in trials with validly predicted switches, when only two different tasks are used
Summary
It has been shown that humans are able to make use of the predictive value of pretarget intervals in order to adjust their anticipatory cognitive control for preparing upcoming task execution requirements (Aufschnaiter, Kiesel, Dreisbach, Wenke, & Thomaschke, 2018a; Aufschnaiter, Kiesel, & Thomaschke, 2018b; Aufschnaiter, Kiesel, & Thomaschke, 2020). This enhanced preparation could be observed when the upcoming task identity was predicted based on time, and when only the upcoming task transition (i.e. task switch vs task repetition) was predicted based on the preceding time interval (Aufschnaiter et al, 2018a). The predictive value of pre-target intervals is one among other potential sources of task predictability which can be used to enhance preparation for upcoming task requirements
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