Submission 215
Does Timing Matter? Exploring the Temporal Dynamics of Dual-Task Representations
SymposiumTalk-04
Presented by: Alice Camisa
In research on cued task-switching, increasing the time interval between a response and the cue onset of the upcoming trial (response-cue interval; RCI) typically leads to reduced switch costs. This effect is usually attributed to the dissipation of the previously activated task set: longer RCIs allow more time for the previous task set to dissipate, thereby reducing interference when a new one must be activated. The present study examined whether a similar time-dependent effect occurs for task-pair sets, higher-order representations of two partially overlapping tasks in dual-task contexts. To this end, we applied the task-pair switching logic, in which each trial began with a cue indicating which of two partially overlapping task-pairs to perform and then proceeded as a psychological refractory period (PRP) trial. Task 1 remained constant across pairs (A: tone task), whereas Task 2 varied (B or C: visual tasks). We manipulated the interval between the stimuli onset of Task 1 and Task 2 (stimulus onset asynchrony; SOA), the task-pair sequence (switches, e.g., AB → AC, vs. repetitions, e.g., AB → AB), and the RCI from the response in Task 2 to the cue for the next trial (short vs. long). Data from 48 participants revealed significant effects of SOA and task-pair sequence in both tasks, with poorer performance on task-pair switches than repetitions. Crucially, task-pair switch costs in reaction times were reduced at longer RCIs, in line with the dissipation account. These findings provide new insights into the temporal dynamics underlying the control of dual-task representations.