Task switching and across-trial distance priming are independent

Abstract

The present study investigated the possible influence of stimulus–task associations in cued task switching designs using small numbers as stimuli. To this end, cued task switching was combined with across-trial distance priming. Across-trial distance priming is based on the organisation of numbers along a mental number line. In a series of three experiments it was observed that across-trial distance priming resulted in faster response repetitions and slower response alternations but that it did not influence the switch cost. These results indicated that stimulus–task associations are not generalised to adjacent numbers.

This research was made possible by grant no. 10251101 of the Special Research Fund at Ghent University to the third and fourth author.