Working memory capacity modulates task performance but has little influence on task choice

Butler, Karin M.; Arrington, Catherine M.; Weywadt, Christina R. · 2010 · OpenAlex-citations

DOI: 10.3758/s13421-010-0055-y

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Summary

This study investigates the relationship between individual differences in working memory capacity (WMC) and multitasking behavior, specifically distinguishing between task choice processes and task performance. While WMC is widely associated with cognitive control mechanisms such as goal maintenance and interference resolution, previous research using standard cued task-switching paradigms failed to find significant correlations between WMC and switch costs. The authors argue that standard paradigms may not adequately reflect endogenous control processes. To address this, the study utilizes a voluntary task-switching (VTS) procedure, which requires participants to self-select tasks without external cues, thereby engaging volitional control processes more akin to real-world multitasking. The research comprised two experiments involving university students. WMC was measured using the Operation Span (OSPAN) task. In Experiment 1, participants performed parity and magnitude tasks on digit stimuli, with the response-to-stimulus interval (RSI) manipulated at 100, 500, 900, and 1,300 ms. The study examined task choice metrics, including switch probability and randomness measures, alongside task performance metrics, such as reaction time (RT) switch costs and accuracy. Experiment 2 further manipulated environmental interference by using univalent stimuli and varying stimulus onset asynchrony to assess reliance on environmental support. The results revealed a dissociation between the influence of WMC on task choice versus task performance. Task choice processes were only weakly related to WMC; switch probabilities did not significantly correlate with WMC across any RSI condition, nor did the degree of reliance on environmental cues (stimulus repetition vs. change) correlate with WMC. However, WMC significantly modulated task performance. Specifically, higher WMC was associated with reduced RT switch costs, but this relationship was observed only at the shortest preparation interval (100 ms). At longer RSIs, no significant correlation between WMC and switch costs was found. Additionally, higher WMC correlated with greater accuracy on both switch and repetition trials. These findings suggest that WMC is primarily related to the regulation of specific task parameters, such as maintaining task readiness and resolving interference during execution, rather than the volitional choice of which task to perform. The results support models of cognitive control that separate task choice processes from the processes of activating and maintaining task sets. The study implies that while working memory resources are critical for efficient task execution under time pressure, they play a minimal role in the strategic selection of tasks in a multitask environment.

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Topics

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• task switching
• executive function
• cognitive capacity variation
• working memory