executive control of cognitive strongprocessesstrong in task switching.pdf

Journal of Experimental Psychology: Copyright 2001 by the American Psychological Association, Inc. Human Perception and Performance 0096-1523/01/S5.00 DOI: 10.1037//0096-1523.27.4.763 2001, Vol. 27, No. 4, 763-797 Executive Control of Cognitive Processes in Task Switching Joshua S. Rubinstein David E. Meyer and Jeffrey E. Evans Federal Aviation Administration University of Michigan In 4 experiments, participants alternated between different tasks or performed the same task repeatedly. The tasks for 2 of the experiments required responding to geometric objects in terms of alternative classification rules, and the tasks for the other 2 experiments required solving arithmetic problems in terms of alternative numerical operations. Performance was measured as a function of whether the tasks were familiar or unfamiliar, the rules were simple or complex, and visual cues were present or absent about which tasks should be performed. Task alternation yielded switching-time costs that increased with rule complexity but decreased with task cuing. These factor effects were additive, supporting a model of executive control that has goal-shifting and rule-activation stages for task switching. It appears that rule activation