Imaging Cognition in the Aging Human Brain
David R. Riddle in Brain Aging, 2007
Task switching, sometimes known as shifting, refers to the ability to fluidly and accurately alternate between multiple rule sets that govern task responding [80]. Switching has been associated with a prefrontal-parietal network similar to that involved in working memory, although it appears to rely somewhat more heavily on activation in parietal regions of this network [8, 81]. Numerous studies have investigated the behavioral effects of aging on task switching, generally finding that older adults exhibit disproportionately large dual-task or switch costs relative to younger adults, although these age differences tend to be most pronounced for between-block switch costs rather than for within-block switch costs [82–84]. Despite the natural translation of task switching paradigms into blocked and event-related functional imaging methods, imaging studies of age differences on task switching are remarkably scarce.
The balanced communications diet for business
Cary L. Cooper in Psychological Insights for Understanding COVID-19 and Work, 2020
Multitasking (attempting to perform two or more tasks simultaneously), or task switching (when you are interrupted mid-task) are effectively the mental equivalent of juggling. If you have ever closed your laptop down at the end of the day and found a multitude of half-finished email replies, chat sessions and half-completed documents, you have probably been doing one or the other. Academics have long known that task-switching has a detrimental effect on productivity, even for simple tasks (e.g. Rogers & Monsell, 1995). The results are even worse for complex tasks (e.g. Rubinstein et al., 2001). Although switch costs may be small, sometimes just a few tenths of a second per switch, they can add up to large amounts of time wasted when people switch repeatedly back and forth between tasks. Task switching can also impede memory and knowledge retention, particularly for interruptions mid-task. Interruptions reduce our ability to pay attention (Ophir et al., 2009), complete tasks, reduce task accuracy (Montag & Walla, 2016), and increases the time we take to complete tasks (Cellier & Eyrolle, 1992).
Cognitive Aging
Rachael E. Docking, Jennifer Stock in International Handbook of Positive Aging, 2017
As we go through our day we often find ourselves shifting our attention from one goal to the next. Our ability to update our goals and responses depending on the current task we confront is an aspect of executive control. This is often measured in the laboratory using task-switching paradigms in which, depending on a cue, a different task needs to be performed. Switching between tasks often invokes a greater cost for older adults compared to younger adults (Wasylyshyn, Verhaeghen & Sliwinski, 2011). Similarly, dual-tasking (performing two tasks simultaneously) is another executive control function indicative of cognitive flexibility. In most dual-task paradigms, performance on a dual-task condition is compared to a single task condition (on latency and accuracy) in order to understand to what extent each task competes for the same resources. A meta-analysis on the subject of dual-task performance found evidence for a difference in performance between younger and older adults on dual-task latency, but a lack of an age-related decline in dual-task accuracy (Verhaeghen et al., 2003).
Dyad Practice Impacts Self-Directed Practice Behaviors and Motor Learning Outcomes in a Contextual Interference Paradigm
Published in Journal of Motor Behavior, 2018
April Karlinsky, Nicola J. Hodges
We evaluated 3 features of self-directed task-switching including switching strategy, switching frequency, and proportion matching. If task-switching was performance-contingent, absolute errors (AE) should be lower on “switch” trials than on the preceding trial (“switch – 1”). These AE data were analyzed in a 4 Subgroup (self-directed only) × 2 Trial-type (switch or switch – 1) mixed ANOVA, with repeated measures (RM). Switching frequency was also assessed and compared across the 4 self-directed Subgroups in a univariate ANOVA. A Pearson's r correlation was run to assess similarities in frequency of switching across the self-self pairs. One final way we measured the influence of a partner on self-directed practice was in terms of the proportion of sequences that were matched/block (i.e., P2s matched the P1s' sequences from the preceding block). The mean proportion of matched sequences was analyzed in a 3 Subgroup (P2s only) univariate ANOVA. Pearson's r correlations were used to assess relationships between these switching frequency and proportion of matched trials measures and retention test outcomes.
Implementation of a triage nurse role and the effect on hospitalist workload
Published in Hospital Practice, 2021
Gopi J. Astik, Nita Kulkarni, Rachel M. Cyrus, Chen Yeh, Kevin J. O’Leary
Workload was improved in our study by offloading activities, not directly related to patient care, from the hospitalist to the Triage Nurse. This change in responsibilities reduced the number of paging interruptions experienced by the hospitalist. Prior studies have found that hospitalists experience frequent interruptions and that these interruption often result in task switching (e.g., switching from taking a history on one patient, to returning a page about another) [8,20]. Research has shown that task switching can be problematic in cognitive work because some of an individual’s attention remains stuck with the original activity, a phenomenon called ‘attention residue.’ [21] Furthermore, task switching can reduce the efficiency of hospitalists’ work. Previous studies have shown a large number of pages were non-urgent and/or sent to the wrong physician [22–24]. In our study, the Triage Nurse was provided with algorithms to prioritize and direct messages to the appropriate team member.
The role of spatial separation of two talkers’ auditory stimuli in the listener’s memory of running speech: listening effort in a non-noisy conversational setting
Published in International Journal of Audiology, 2022
Edina Fintor, Lukas Aspöck, Janina Fels, Sabine J. Schlittmeier
Accordingly, we conducted two 3 × 2 ANOVAs – one for RTs and one for PE – on the independent within-subject factors task conditions ((a) co-located dual-tasking; (b) spatially separated dual-tasking; (c) single switching-task) and task switching (switch trial vs. repetition trial). The ANOVAs revealed a significant main effect of task conditions on RT, F(2, 46) = 21.913, p < 0.001, η2p = 0.487, but not on PE, F < 1. The main effect of task switching was also significant on RT, F(1, 23) = 10.029, p < 0.01, η2p = 0.303, but not on PE, F(1, 23) = 1.332, p = 0.25, η2p = 0.054. The interaction was significant neither on RT, F(2, 46) = 1.343, p = 0.26, η2p = 0.55, nor on PE, F(2, 46) = 1.572, p = 0.21, η2p = 0.063. To clarify the effect patterns on RTs, Tukey’s tests were conducted as post-hoc comparisons. These verified that the RTs were longer when the switching task was performed alone than in parallel with the listening task (co-located dual-tasking: M = 608 ms, SD = 90.2 ms; spatially separated dual-tasking: M = 601 ms, SD = 74.2 ms; single switching task: M = 710 ms, SD = 102.8 ms). Additionally, the RTs were longer on switch trials than on repetition trials (M = 664 ms, SD = 99.2, vs. M = 616 ms, SD = 78.9 ms). These results are depicted in the left panel of Figure 3.
Related Knowledge Centers
- Executive Functions
- Attention
- Cognitive Shifting
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