The role of verbal short-term memory in task selection: How articulatory suppression influences task choice in voluntary task switching

Weywadt, Christina R.; Butler, Karin M. · 2012 · OpenAlex-citations

DOI: 10.3758/s13423-012-0349-0

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Summary

This study investigates the specific role of verbal short-term memory (vSTM) in voluntary task switching (VTS), where participants choose which of two tasks to perform on each trial rather than following experimenter cues. The authors aimed to determine whether vSTM supports task selection by maintaining a sequence of previous tasks to guide future choices via a "representativeness heuristic," or if it serves a different function. Previous research suggested vSTM aids in maintaining task sequences, but its role in voluntary selection, particularly regarding the time available for decision-making, remained unclear. To test these hypotheses, 48 participants performed a VTS paradigm involving odd/even and high/low judgments of digits. They were instructed to switch tasks randomly. The experiment manipulated two variables: concurrent load (no load, articulatory suppression, or foot tapping) and response-to-stimulus interval (RSI; 500 ms or 1,300 ms). Articulatory suppression, which requires repeating a word aloud, was used to disrupt vSTM resources, while foot tapping served as a control condition that did not engage verbal memory. The primary measures were the probability of switching tasks (p(sw)) and task performance metrics, including reaction times and accuracy. The results indicated that articulatory suppression significantly reduced the probability of switching compared to foot tapping, suggesting that vSTM is critical for task selection. However, this reduction in switching did not vary with the RSI, contradicting the hypothesis that vSTM maintains a sequence of previous tasks to guide selection via the representativeness heuristic, a process expected to be more influential at longer intervals. Instead, the findings suggest vSTM is necessary for maintaining the intended task choice itself. Regarding performance, articulatory suppression did not affect reaction times or switch costs, indicating vSTM is not critical for the speed of task execution. However, suppression did reduce accuracy, particularly on switch trials, implying that while vSTM does not speed up task reconfiguration, it supports the accurate retrieval of stimulus-response mappings. The study concludes that vSTM plays a distinct role in VTS: it is essential for maintaining the selected task set to ensure it is executed, but it does not support the strategic maintenance of previous task sequences to guide random selection. This challenges the view that the representativeness heuristic in VTS relies on verbal storage. Instead, the authors propose that vSTM supports the retrieval of a prospective plan for the current task. These findings refine our understanding of cognitive control mechanisms, distinguishing between the verbal resources needed for task maintenance versus those needed for strategic task selection.

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• task switching