The integration of task-set components into cognitive task representations

Abstract

The present study examined the cognitive representation of tasks ("task sets") using the task-switching paradigm. To do so, we manipulated the task-set components "judgment" (i.e., stimulus categories) and "response modality" orthogonally in two-componential switching experiments. In Experiment 1, we additionally manipulated the type of cues, whereas we manipulated the cue-stimulus interval (CSI) in Experiments 2 and 3. We found that the two task-set components were not represented independently but interacted. Furthermore, preparation was substantially better when both task-set components were cued simultaneously with a long CSI than when only one task-set component could be prepared. Therefore, we suppose that both task-set components were integrated into a single task representation and that task-set integration is necessary prior to response selection. Thus, even components that have been classified as motor-related so far (e.g., the response modality) need to be specified and integrated into a task representation before the selection of a response.