Locus of the single-channel bottleneck in dual-task interference.

Abstract

Two experiments used the locus-of-cognitive-slack method to determine whether dual-task interference occurs before or after the response selection stage. The experiments used the overlapping tasks paradigm, in which two signals, each requiring a different speeded choice response, are presented in rapid succession. In Experiment 1, stimulus-response (S-R) compatibility was manipulated by varying whether Task 2 stimuli were mapped onto their responses by a rule or arbitrarily. Compatibility effects were additive with the effects of degree of task overlap, manipulated by varying the stimulus onset asynchrony between the signals. Experiment 2 examined 2 additional forms of S-R compatibility: symbolic compatability (arrows vs. letters) and spatial compatibility (the 'Simon' effect). Effects of symbolic compatibility were additive with effects of degree of task overlap, whereas the effects of spatial compatibility and degree of task overlap were underadditive. It is argued that only a central-bottleneck model provides a consistent account of these results. The nature of the central bottleneck is considered.

Cites (7)

1. The discovery of processing stages: Extensions of Donders' method
   Sternberg, Saul · 1969 · Acta Psychologica
2. On data-limited and resource-limited processes
   Norman, Donald A, Bobrow, Daniel G · 1975 · Cognitive Psychology
3. Dimensional overlap: cognitive basis for stimulus-response compatibility-a model and taxonomy
   Kornblum, Sylvan, Hasbroucq, Thierry, Osman, Allen · 1990 · Psychological Review
4. S-R compatibility: spatial characteristics of stimulus and response codes.
   Fitts, Paul M., Seeger, Charles M. · 1953 · Journal of Experimental Psychology
5. S-R compatibility: Correspondence among paired elements within stimulus and response codes.
   Fitts, Paul M., Deininger, Richard L. · 1954 · Journal of Experimental Psychology
6. The effect of irrelevant spatial correspondences on two-choice response-time
   Hedge, A., Marsh, N.W.A. · 1975 · Acta Psychologica
7. Dependence and independence in responding to double stimulation: A comparison of stop, change, and dual-task paradigms.
   Logan, Gordon D., Burkell, Jacqueline · 1986 · Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance

Show all 7 references

Cited by (10)

1. The magical number 4 in short-term memory: A reconsideration of mental storage capacity
   Cowan, Nelson · 2001 · Behavioral and Brain Sciences
2. Dual-task interference in simple tasks: data and theory
   Pashler, Harold · 1994 · Psychological Bulletin
3. Executive control of cognitive processes in task switching
   Rubinstein, Joshua S., Meyer, David E., Evans, Jeffrey E. · 2001 · Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance
4. The influence of irrelevant location information on performance: A review of the Simon and spatial Stroop effects
   Lu, Chen-hui, Proctor, Robert W. · 1995 · Psychonomic Bulletin & Review
5. Examining the impact of off-task multi-tasking with technology on real-time classroom learning
   Wood, Eileen, Zivcakova, Lucia, Gentile, Petrice, Archer, Karin, De Pasquale, Domenica, Nosko, Amanda · 2012 · Computers & Education

See all 310