Task Switching Essay Example

style="text-align: justify">Using a computer with Metacard software, participants were asked to perform a task which they responded to a target stimulus and determined if it was odd or even numbers. They were also asked to make a judgment based on the magnitude of the number, which was compare to the number five. The task cues were odd/even vs. magnitude. The possible target stimuli consisted of the numbers 1,2,3,4,6,7,8, and 9. One hundred trials were presented, randomly, 50% were odd/even trials and the other 50% were magnitude trials. The fixation cross displayed for 500 milliseconds. The task cue and target were displayed simultaneously until a response was given by the participant. The response key mapping remained on the screen for the entirety of the experiment. To respond accordingly, Z represented an odd number, X represented an even number, N represented a number smaller than 5, and M represented a number larger than 5.

Results In order to understand task- switching and test our hypothesis that reaction time is slower when it is a task switch than when the task is repeated, the data was analyzed, with a paired sample t- test. It was found that participants were significantly faster when the task repeated (M = 1196.22, SD = 292.17) than when the task switched (M = 1737.67, SD = 1694.05), t (37) = -1.976, p < 0.56 (see Figure 1). Therefore there was a task switching cost. Discussion

A significant effect was demonstrated in the experiment that showed that a switching cost occurs when there is a switch between tasks as oppose to when a task is repeated. The reaction time was slower when the

task switched because of reconfiguration. For the reason that the brain had to reorganize the task set, it took longer for the task to be completed, which resulted in a slower reaction time. When the task was repeated, the task set is stable within the brain, therefore the mental processes do not have to reconfigure, resulting in a faster time for the task to be completed (Monsell, 2003).

This outcome of this experiment is also consistent with the research of Monsell (2003) with the finding that a task- switching cost occurred based on task- switching and task- repeat. Within this experiment responses took more time on a “switch trial” than on the task repetition trial. Not only did increase in reaction time but it also decreased in accuracy during the task- switch trial.

To further our knowledge of task- switching, researchers may want to explore aspects of what attributes may result in reduction time for task- switching. This would be of importance to many people whose everyday life consist of various multi-tasking situations and want to save time throughout their day to complete other tasks.