Liepelt Roman, Strobach Tilo, Frensch Peter, Schubert Torsten
Junior Group Neurocognition of Joint Action, Department of Psychology, Westfälische Wilhelms-University, Münster, Germany.
Q J Exp Psychol (Hove). 2011 Jul;64(7):1251-72. doi: 10.1080/17470218.2010.543284.
This study examines whether an improved intertask coordination skill is acquired during extensive dual-task training and whether it can be transferred to a new dual-task situation. Participants practised a visual-manual task and an auditory-vocal task. These tasks were trained in two groups matched in dual-task performance measures before practice: a single-task practice group and a hybrid practice group (including single-task and dual-task practice). After practice, the single-task practice group was transferred to the same dual-task situation as that for the hybrid practice group (Experiment 1), both groups were transferred to a dual-task situation with a new visual task (Experiment 2), and both groups were transferred to a dual-task situation with a new auditory task matched in task difficulty (Experiment 3). The results show a dual-task performance advantage in the hybrid practice group over the single-task practice group in the practised dual-task situation (Experiment 1), the manipulated visual-task situation (Experiment 2), and the manipulated auditory-task situation (Experiment 3). In all experiments, the dual-task performance advantage was consistently found for the auditory task only. These findings suggest that extended dual-task practice improves the skill to coordinate two tasks, which may be defined as an accelerated switching operation between both tasks. This skill is relatively robust against changes of the component visual and auditory tasks. We discuss how the finding of task coordination could be integrated in present models of dual-task research.
本研究考察了在大量的双任务训练过程中是否获得了改进的任务间协调技能，以及该技能是否能够迁移到新的双任务情境中。参与者练习一项视觉-手动任务和一项听觉-发声任务。在练习前，根据双任务表现指标将这些任务分为两组：单任务练习组和混合练习组（包括单任务和双任务练习）。练习后，单任务练习组被转移到与混合练习组相同的双任务情境中（实验1），两组都被转移到一个包含新视觉任务的双任务情境中（实验2），并且两组都被转移到一个任务难度匹配的新听觉任务的双任务情境中（实验3）。结果显示，在练习过的双任务情境（实验1）、操控的视觉任务情境（实验2）和操控的听觉任务情境（实验3）中，混合练习组的双任务表现优于单任务练习组。在所有实验中，仅在听觉任务中始终发现双任务表现优势。这些发现表明，扩展的双任务练习提高了协调两项任务的技能，这可以被定义为两项任务之间加速的切换操作。该技能对于视觉和听觉任务成分的变化相对稳健。我们讨论了任务协调的这一发现如何能够整合到当前的双任务研究模型中。
