Voluntary task switching in children: Switching more reduces the cost of task selection.

Frick, Aurélien; Brandimonte, Maria A.; Chevalier, Nicolas · 2019 · OpenAlex-citations

DOI: 10.1037/dev0000757

archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified

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Summary

This study investigates the development of self-directed cognitive control in children, specifically focusing on voluntary task switching (VTS). While cognitive control development is well-documented in externally driven contexts, little is known about how children engage control autonomously without external cues. The authors adapted the VTS paradigm, considered the gold standard for assessing self-directed control in adults, for use with 5- to 6-year-old children, 9- to 10-year-old children, and adults. The research aimed to determine how age influences task selection processes, including the ability to switch tasks randomly and equally, and whether preparation time affects performance. Participants completed a child-friendly VTS task where they voluntarily sorted toys by color or shape, instructed to perform both tasks equally often and in a random order to avoid detection by a "thief" character. The experimental design manipulated preparation time (short: 600 ms; long: 2,000 ms) to assess the role of proactive versus reactive control. Performance was measured using three indices: task transition (probability of switching, p(switch)), task selection equality (balance between tasks), and task randomness (use of systematic strategies). Results indicated that while all age groups engaged in self-directed control, younger children struggled more with task selection. Specifically, 5- to 6-year-olds showed lower accuracy with short preparation times and significantly higher mixing and switching costs in reaction times compared to older children and adults. Regarding task selection, younger children performed the two tasks less equally than older participants. Crucially, younger children relied more heavily on systematic, non-random strategies, particularly "switching more" (alternating tasks regularly), which reduced the cognitive cost of task selection. In contrast, older children and adults used more adaptive, random strategies. Preparation time improved switching rates for older participants but had little effect on younger children, suggesting they rely more on reactive control mechanisms. The findings suggest that self-directed control development involves a transition from relying on systematic strategies to achieve randomness to more flexible, adaptive control. The reliance on systematic switching by younger children indicates that task selection is a critical bottleneck in self-directed control, similar to externally driven control. The study concludes that self-directed and externally driven control likely form a continuum rather than discrete categories, with task selection processes being central to both. This work highlights the importance of examining strategy use in developmental studies of cognitive control.

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Topics

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• task switching
• executive function