Preparing auditory task switching in a task with overlapping and non-overlapping response sets

Nolden, Sophie; Koch, Iring · 2023 · Crossref

DOI: 10.1007/s00426-023-01796-x

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Summary

This study investigates the interplay between task preparation and response-set overlap in auditory task switching. While previous research suggests that non-overlapping response sets (where different tasks use distinct motor responses) reduce interference and switch costs, this paper examines whether this benefit persists when tasks share common underlying semantic categories (e.g., classifying pitch or loudness as "low" or "high"). The authors aimed to determine if shared semantic categories negate the advantages of non-overlapping responses and how preparation time influences these dynamics. The researchers conducted two experiments using a cued auditory task-switching paradigm. Participants classified simple tones as either low or high in pitch or loudness. In Experiment 1A, response sets overlapped: participants used the same manual keys for both tasks. In Experiment 1B, response sets were non-overlapping: one task required manual responses, while the other required vocal responses. The study focused on manual responses to allow direct comparison between experiments. Preparation time was manipulated by varying the cue-stimulus interval (CSI) between 100 ms (short) and 900 ms (long). Stimuli were bivalent, creating congruent (both features low/high) and incongruent (one low, one high) conditions to measure interference. The results revealed that non-overlapping response sets did not provide a general benefit over overlapping ones. Specifically, switch costs were significantly higher in Experiment 1B (non-overlapping) than in Experiment 1A (overlapping), indicating less efficient switching when response sets differed. However, the congruency effect—a measure of interference from the irrelevant task dimension—was significantly reduced in Experiment 1B. This suggests that non-overlapping responses improved "task shielding" by reducing response-based crosstalk, despite increasing the cost of switching task sets. Additionally, longer preparation times improved overall performance and reduced switch costs in both experiments. Notably, vocal responses in Experiment 1B showed a greater preparatory reduction in switch costs compared to manual responses, highlighting modality-specific preparation effects. The findings challenge the assumption that non-overlapping response sets universally facilitate task switching. When tasks share integrated semantic categories, the difficulty of keeping stimulus dimensions separate outweighs the benefits of distinct motor responses. The study concludes that response-set overlap is more strongly related to the difficulty of maintaining separate task sets (shielding) than to the mechanical difficulty of switching itself. These results refine theoretical models of task switching by emphasizing the role of semantic integration and distinguishing between the costs of switching and the costs of interference.

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• task switching