Abstract
In task switching, a response indicated as correct by both task rules is executed more quickly than one for which the rules disagree. This rule-congruency, so far demonstrated unequivocally only in nonspatial tasks, shows that the currently irrelevant task set is kept active. However, in spatial task-switching, rule-congruency could potentially reflect a preexperimental tendency that contributes to a Simon-like effect. In the present study, participants switched between RIGHT–LEFT and UP–DOWN tasks with either a standard key arrangement (e.g., upper key = UP) or a mapping-reversed arrangement (e.g., up = DOWN), which reverses the direction of the potential Simon-like effect but leaves potential rule-congruency effects unchanged. Mapping-reversal did not modulate any other effect, including rule-congruency, and therefore indicated rule-congruency unequivocally. Finally, implications concerning generality versus domain specificity of control processes in task switching are discussed.
Acknowledgments
The research was supported by a grant from the Israel Science Foundation. I wish to thank Thomas Kleinsorge, Robert Proctor, Padmaneban Sudevan, and an anonymous reviewer for helpful comments, Rotem Eren Rabinovich for English proofreading, and Roy Luria for assistance in programming and data analysis.