Response-repetition costs in task switching do not index a simple response-switch bias: Evidence from manipulating the number of response alternatives

Koch, Iring; Hazeltine, Eliot; Petersen, Greta; Weissman, Daniel H. · 2023 · Attention Perception & Psychophysics

DOI: 10.3758/s13414-023-02708-2

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Summary

This study investigates the theoretical mechanisms underlying response-repetition costs in task switching, specifically testing whether these costs arise from a simple heuristic bias to switch responses when tasks change. In task-switching paradigms, repeating a response typically aids performance when the task repeats but impairs it when the task switches. While three main accounts explain this interaction—inhibition, associative interference, and a bias to switch responses—they make divergent predictions when the number of response alternatives exceeds two. The bias-to-switch account posits that a task switch triggers a general tendency to change the response; however, in a three-choice task, this bias cannot prime a specific alternative response, potentially eliminating response-repetition costs. In contrast, inhibition and associative interference accounts predict that response-repetition costs should persist regardless of the number of alternatives. To test these predictions, the authors conducted two online experiments using an un-cued, predictable alternating-runs paradigm with univalent stimuli to avoid confounding congruency effects. Experiment 1A (N = 40) utilized a standard two-choice task involving digit magnitude and letter classification. Experiment 1B (N = 60) employed a three-choice task by adding a third response option (medium magnitude digits and non-alphabetical symbols) mapped to a third key. Both experiments manipulated task transitions (repeat vs. switch) and response transitions (repeat vs. switch) in a between-subjects design to isolate the effect of response alternative count. The results replicated the classic crossover interaction in Experiment 1A, showing a significant response-repetition benefit in task-repeat trials and a cost in task-switch trials for error rates. Crucially, Experiment 1B revealed that response-repetition costs in task-switch trials remained significant for both reaction time (13 ms cost) and error rates. Furthermore, exploratory comparisons indicated that the interaction between task and response repetition was larger in the three-choice task for mean reaction time, though the pattern reversed for error rates. Because the response-repetition cost persisted in the three-choice condition where a simple switch bias cannot facilitate a specific alternative response, the data contradict the bias-to-switch account. The findings demonstrate that response-repetition costs in task switching are not merely the result of a strategic bias to switch responses when tasks change. Instead, the persistence of these costs in a three-choice paradigm supports accounts involving response inhibition or associative interference, which posit that switching tasks actively inhibits the previous response or creates retrieval conflict regardless of the number of available alternatives. This study clarifies the theoretical landscape of cognitive control by ruling out a simple heuristic explanation for robust task-switching phenomena.

Key finding

Response-repetition costs in task-switch trials remain significant even when three response alternatives are available, indicating that a simple bias to switch responses is not the underlying cause.

Methodology

lab_experiment

Sample size: 100

Provenance

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Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.

Topics

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• task switching