Task inhibition and task repetition in task switching

Abstract

In task-switching experiments with three tasks, the relative cost of an N–2 task repetition (task sequence ABA) compared to a task switch (task sequence CBA) is referred to as N–2 repetition cost. N–2 repetition cost is assumed to reflect persisting inhibition of a task that was recently switched away from. In two experiments, we explored whether the occurrence of task repetitions has an influence on the size of the N–2 repetition cost. The results in both experiments showed a decreased N–2 repetition cost in conditions in which task repetitions were possible—independent of whether the occurrence of task repetitions was manipulated between subjects (Experiment 1) or within subjects (i.e., block by block, Experiment 2). These results suggest that the occurrence of task repetitions affects the balance of activation and inhibition in task switching.

This research was funded by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft Grant KO 2045/4-1 and 4-2 to Iring Koch.

This research was funded by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft Grant KO 2045/4-1 and 4-2 to Iring Koch.

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Mei-Ching Lien and an anonymous reviewer for comments on a previous version of this paper. We also would like to thank Miriam Gade, Peter Keller, and Stefanie Schuch for helpful discussions concerning this work and Franziska Pöss and Yi Zhang for conducting parts of the experiment.

Notes

This research was funded by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft Grant KO 2045/4-1 and 4-2 to Iring Koch.

¹Due to a programming error the number of tasks differed slightly. That is, the number of colour tasks in each block was reduced by four and in return, the number of type tasks was increased by four. However, the data pattern did not change when we included task as an additional independent variable.