Department Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Leopoldstr. 13, 80802, Munich, Germany.
Psychol Res. 2012 Nov;76(6):794-811. doi: 10.1007/s00426-011-0381-0. Epub 2011 Sep 27.
Recent research has demonstrated that dual-task performance in situations with two simultaneously presented tasks can be substantially improved with extensive practice. This improvement was related to the acquisition of task coordination skills. Earlier studies provided evidence that these skills result from hybrid practice, including dual and single tasks, but not from single-task practice. It is an open question, however, whether task coordination skills are independent from the specific practice situation and are transferable to new situations or whether they are non-transferable and task-specific. The present study, therefore, tested skill transfer in (1) a dual-task situation with identical tasks in practice and transfer, (2) a dual-task situation with two tasks changed from practice to transfer, and (3) a task switching situation with two sequentially presented tasks. Our findings are largely consistent with the assumption that task coordination skills are non-transferable and task-specific. We cannot, however, definitively reject the assumption of transferable skills when measuring error rates in the dual-task situation with two changed tasks after practice. In the task switching situation, single-task and hybrid practice both led to a transfer effect on mixing costs.
最近的研究表明，在同时呈现两个任务的情况下，通过大量的实践，双重任务的表现可以得到实质性的提高。这种改进与任务协调技能的获得有关。早期的研究提供了证据，证明这些技能来源于混合实践，包括双重和单一任务，但不是单一任务实践。然而，一个悬而未决的问题是，任务协调技能是否独立于特定的实践情况，并可转移到新情况，或者它们是否不可转移且特定于任务。因此，本研究在（1）实践和转移中具有相同任务的双重任务情况，（2）从实践到转移的两个任务变化的双重任务情况，以及（3）两个顺序呈现任务的任务转换情况中测试了技能转移。我们的研究结果在很大程度上与任务协调技能不可转移且特定于任务的假设一致。然而，当在实践后测量两个任务变化的双重任务情况中的错误率时，我们不能确定地否定可转移技能的假设。在任务转换情况下，单一任务和混合实践都导致混合成本上的转移效应。
