Serial and parallel processing in multitasking: Concepts and the impact of interindividual differences on task and stage levels.
DOI: 10.1037/xhp0001008
archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified
Get this paper ↗ (DOI — opens at the source; we link to it, we don't host it)
Summary
This study investigates the relationship between individual preferences for serial versus parallel processing at the task level and susceptibility to task interference at the processing stage level. Multitasking research has historically operated in two distinct silos: one focusing on whether entire tasks can be performed concurrently (task level) and another examining whether specific cognitive stages, particularly response selection, can run in parallel (stage level). The authors hypothesize that these levels are linked, proposing that individuals who prefer overlapping task processing are less vulnerable to interference during response selection, as evidenced by a smaller backward crosstalk effect (BCE). To test this, the researchers conducted two experiments combining the Task Switching with Preview (TSWP) paradigm with a classical dual-task paradigm. In the TSWP task, participants performed digit and letter classification tasks in an alternating sequence while viewing a preview of the upcoming stimulus. This setup allowed the researchers to classify individuals into "serials," "semi-overlappers," or "overlappers" based on their use of the preview to pre-process the next task. Subsequently, participants performed a dual-task involving manual keypresses for letter identity and foot pedal presses for color identity. The BCE was measured by comparing response times in Task 1 when the required response for Task 2 was spatially compatible versus incompatible with Task 1. A larger BCE indicates greater interference or less efficient parallel processing at the central stage. The results from Experiment 1 did not yield significant findings, likely due to sample size limitations and stimulus characteristics. However, Experiment 2, which utilized a larger sample and stimuli that facilitated better bottom-up separation of tasks, confirmed the hypothesis. Individuals classified as overlappers exhibited significantly smaller BCEs compared to serials. This indicates that those who naturally prefer to process tasks in an overlapping manner are more resilient to the interference effects that typically arise when response selection processes for two tasks compete for resources. The significance of these findings lies in bridging the gap between basic cognitive psychology and applied human factors research. By demonstrating a systematic relationship between task-level scheduling preferences and stage-level interference vulnerabilities, the study suggests that individual differences in multitasking style are consistent across different levels of analysis. This implies that people who adopt parallel processing strategies at the macro level are also better equipped to handle the micro-level cognitive conflicts inherent in multitasking, challenging the notion that parallel processing is universally detrimental.
Provenance
The full processing record for this entry. Every stage of this paper's journey through the pipeline is logged — what ran, with which tool and model, how many attempts it took, and when it last completed. Discovered via author_sweep_intake on 2026-05-27.
| Stage | Outcome | Tool | Model | Prompt | Attempts | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| discover | success | author_sweep | — | — | 2 | 2026-05-27 |
| archive | success | canonical_url | — | — | 7 | 2026-06-09 |
| extract | success | cached | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-09 |
| clean | success | clean | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-04 |
| chunk | success | chunk | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-04 |
| embed | success | embed | Qwen/Qwen3-Embedding-8B | — | 1 | 2026-06-04 |
| enrich | skipped | — | — | — | 3 | 2026-06-04 |
| promote | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-04 |
| summarize | success | llm | qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant | summ-v5 | 1 | 2026-06-09 |
| tag | success | vector_similarity | — | — | 15 | 2026-06-11 |
| verify | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-09 |
Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-09; verification: verified.
Topics
Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.