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Is dual-task slowing instruction dependent
| Venue: | Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance |
| Citations: | 34 - 2 self |
BibTeX
@ARTICLE{Levy_isdual-task,
author = {Jonathan Levy and Harold Pashler},
title = {Is dual-task slowing instruction dependent},
journal = {Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance},
year = {},
pages = {862--869}
}
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Abstract
When 2 tasks must be performed concurrently, each requiring a choice of response, dual-task slowing is typically found. However, E. H. Schumacher et al. (1997) reported that dual-task slowing can be eliminated when equal priority is assigned to each task. Experiment 1 largely confirmed this with the same tasks as Schumacher et al. (tasks using stimulus-response combinations of visual-manual and auditory-vocal pairings). Experiment 2 retained the equal-priority instructions but switched the task pairings (to visual-vocal and auditory-manual); substantial dual-task slowing occurred. Experiment 3 used the same two response sets but only a single stimulus; slowing was again obtained despite equal priority instructions. Equalizing task priority was not sufficient to eliminate interference; relatively unusual cases in which dual-task interference is eliminated seem to depend on task-specific features. When people concurrently perform two tasks that both require a choice of response, the time taken to complete one or both tasks is typically longer than it is when the same task is performed alone (Welford, 1952, 1980). This dual-task slowing has been observed even with seemingly trivial tasks and even when the stimuli are presented in different sensory modalities (e.g., one visual and one
Keyphrases
instruction dependent dual-task slowing single stimulus stimulus-response combination trivial task task pairing substantial dual-task slowing task-specific feature task priority auditory-vocal pairing different sensory modality response set dual-task interference equal-priority instruction equal priority instruction equal priority unusual case
