Jurczyk, Vanessa and Mittelstaedt, V. and Froeber, Kerstin (2020) Does temporal predictability of tasks influence task choice? PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH-PSYCHOLOGISCHE FORSCHUNG. ISSN 0340-0727, 1430-2772
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Task performance improves when the required tasks are predicted by the preceding time intervals, suggesting that participants form time-based task expectancies. In the present study, we pursued the question whether temporal predictability of tasks can also influence task choice. For this purpose, we conducted three experiments using a hybrid task-switching paradigm (with two tasks) combining forced-choice and free-choice trials. Each trial was preceded by either a short (500 ms) or a long (1500 ms) foreperiod. In forced-choice trials, the instructed task was predicted by the length of the foreperiod (Exp. 1A and 1B: 100% foreperiod-task contingencies; Exp. 2: 80% foreperiod-task contingencies). In the remaining trials, participants were free to choose which task to perform. In all three experiments, we found that participants' task choice was influenced by the foreperiod-task contingencies implemented in forced-choice trials. Specifically, participants were overall biased to choose tasks compatible with these contingencies; these compatible choice rates were larger for the short compared to the long foreperiod. Our findings suggest that learned time-based task expectancies influence subjects' voluntary task choice and that an initially present task bias toward the "short" task is not always overcome at the long foreperiod. We discuss potential underlying mechanisms against the background of voluntary task switching and interval timing.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | NONSPECIFIC PREPARATION; UNINTENTIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS; COGNITIVE FLEXIBILITY; ORIENTING ATTENTION; COMPONENT PROCESSES; TIME; FOREPERIOD; RECONFIGURATION; EXPECTANCY; INTERFERENCE; |
| Subjects: | 100 Philosophy & psychology > 150 Psychology |
| Divisions: | Human Sciences > Institut für Psychologie > Lehrstuhl für Psychologie II (Allgemeine und Angewandte Psychologie) - Prof. Dr. Gesine Dreisbach |
| Depositing User: | Petra Gürster |
| Date Deposited: | 25 Mar 2021 06:22 |
| Last Modified: | 25 Mar 2021 06:22 |
| URI: | https://pred.uni-regensburg.de/id/eprint/45103 |
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