Searching Through Alternating Sequences: Working Memory and Inhibitory Tagging Mechanisms Revealed Using the MILO Task

Abstract

We used the Multi-Item Localisation (MILO) task to examine search through two sequences. In Sequential blocks of trials, six letters and six digits were touched in order. In Mixed blocks, participants alternated between letters and digits. These conditions mimic the A and B variants of the Trail Making Test (TMT). In both block types, targets either vanished or remained visible after being touched. There were two key findings. First, in Mixed blocks, reaction times exhibited a saw-tooth pattern, suggesting search for successive pairs of targets. Second, reaction time patterns for vanish and remain conditions were identical in Sequential blocks—indicating that participants could ignore past targets—but diverged in Mixed blocks. This suggests a breakdown of inhibitory tagging. These findings may help explain the elevated completion times observed in TMT-B, relative to TMT-A.