Schneider Darryl W
Purdue University.
J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform. 2017 Feb;43(2):317-327. doi: 10.1037/xhp0000318. Epub 2016 Nov 10.
Residual switch costs are deficits in task-switching performance that occur despite considerable time to prepare for a task switch. In the present study, the author investigated whether increased phasic alertness modulates residual switch costs. In 2 experiments involving the task-cuing procedure, subjects performed numerical categorization tasks on target digits, with and without an alerting stimulus presented shortly before the target (alert and no-alert trials, respectively). Switch costs were obtained that decreased with a longer cue-target interval, indicating subjects engaged in preparation, but large residual switch costs remained. Alerting effects were obtained in the form of faster overall performance on alert than on no-alert trials, indicating the alerting stimuli increased phasic alertness. Critically, residual switch costs were similar on alert and no-alert trials in both experiments, unaffected by manipulations of alert type, alert availability, and alert-target interval. Implications of the results for understanding the relationship between phasic alertness and cognitive control in task switching are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record
残留转换成本是指在有足够时间为任务转换做准备的情况下，任务转换表现仍出现的缺陷。在本研究中，作者调查了增强的阶段性警觉是否会调节残留转换成本。在涉及任务提示程序的2个实验中，受试者对目标数字执行数字分类任务，在目标出现前不久分别呈现（或不呈现）一个警觉刺激（分别为警觉试验和无警觉试验）。结果发现，随着提示-目标间隔时间延长，转换成本降低，这表明受试者进行了准备，但仍存在较大的残留转换成本。警觉刺激产生了效果，表现为与无警觉试验相比，警觉试验的整体表现更快，这表明警觉刺激增强了阶段性警觉。关键的是，在两个实验中，警觉试验和无警觉试验中的残留转换成本相似，不受警觉类型、警觉可用性和警觉-目标间隔等操作的影响。本文讨论了这些结果对于理解任务转换中阶段性警觉与认知控制之间关系的意义。（《心理学文摘数据库记录》）
