The contribution of task-choice response selection to the switch cost in voluntary task switching

Liefooghe, Baptist · 2017 · Crossref

DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2017.05.006

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Summary

This study investigates the components contributing to the switch cost in voluntary task switching (VTS), specifically addressing whether the overt indication of a chosen task (task-choice response selection) artificially inflates performance measures. In standard VTS paradigms, participants freely select which task to perform, and the resulting switch cost is often interpreted as a proxy for executive control. However, the author argues that the requirement to emit an arbitrary response to indicate the selected task introduces an additional processing step—task-choice response selection—that may delay the retrieval of task rules and confound the measurement of true mental flexibility. To isolate this effect, the author conducted two experiments using a modified double-registration procedure. Participants switched between a letter classification task and a shape classification task. Crucially, each task was associated with two distinct task-choice keys (e.g., keys "e" and "t" for the letter task). This design allowed the separation of trials into three categories: complete repetitions (same task, same choice key), task repetitions (same task, different choice key), and task switches (different task, different choice key). Experiment 1 varied the Response-Stimulus Interval (RSI) to assess the magnitude of the effect, while Experiment 2 orthogonally manipulated the Inter-Trial Interval (ITI) and RSI to distinguish between top-down preparatory control and bottom-up interference from persisting activation. The results demonstrated that task-choice response selection contributes substantially to the switch cost. In both experiments, reaction times for task execution were significantly faster on complete repetitions than on task repetitions, and faster on task repetitions than on task switches. The difference between complete and task repetitions accounted for approximately half of the total switch cost typically observed in VTS. Experiment 2 further revealed that the cost associated with switching task-choice responses (the difference between complete and task repetitions) was sensitive to preparation time, indicating a top-down control component. Specifically, this cost was reduced when participants had more time to prepare after making the choice response. In contrast, the cost associated with switching tasks (the difference between task repetitions and task switches) was primarily driven by bottom-up interference, as it decreased with longer intervals between trials. These findings imply that the switch cost in voluntary task switching is not solely a measure of executive control involved in switching task sets. A significant portion reflects the cognitive cost of selecting and executing the arbitrary response used to report the task choice. Consequently, researchers must account for task-choice response selection when interpreting VTS data, as failing to do so may lead to overestimating the role of top-down control in mental flexibility. The study suggests that future designs should minimize or separate these response selection processes to obtain a purer measure of task-switching costs.

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• task switching