Dual task interference on early perceptual processing

When two tasks, Task 1 and Task 2, are conducted in close temporal proximity and a separate speeded response is required for each target (T1 and T2), T2 report performance decreases as a function of its temporal proximity to T1. This so-called psychological refractory period (PRP) effect on T2 proce...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Attention, perception & psychophysics perception & psychophysics, 2021-05, Vol.83 (4), p.1777-1795
Main Authors: Duncan, Justin, Roberge, Amélie, Fortier-Gauthier, Ulysse, Fiset, Daniel, Blais, Caroline, Brisson, Benoit
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Attention
Attentional Blink
Auditory Discrimination
Behavioral Science and Psychology
Cognitive Psychology
Humans
Individual Differences
Memory
Motivation
Perceptual Masking
Proximity
Psychology
Refractory Period, Psychological
Research Methodology
Short Term Memory
Visual Discrimination
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:When two tasks, Task 1 and Task 2, are conducted in close temporal proximity and a separate speeded response is required for each target (T1 and T2), T2 report performance decreases as a function of its temporal proximity to T1. This so-called psychological refractory period (PRP) effect on T2 processing is largely assumed to reflect interference from T1 response selection on T2 response selection. However, interference on early perceptual processing of T2 has been observed in a modified paradigm, which required changes in visual-spatial attention, sensory modality, task modality, and response modality across targets. The goal of the present study was to investigate the possibility of early perceptual interference by systematically and iteratively removing each of these possible non perceptual confounds, in a series of four experiments. To assess T2 visual memory consolidation success, T2 was presented for a varying duration and immediately masked. T2 report accuracy, which was taken as a measure of perceptual—encoding or consolidation—success, decreased across all experimental control conditions as T1–T2 onset proximity increased. We argue that our results, in light of previous studies, show that central processing of a first target, responsible for the classical PRP effect, also interferes with early perceptual processing of a second target. We end with a discussion of broader implications for psychological refractory period and attentional blink effects.
ISSN:1943-3921
1943-393X
DOI:10.3758/s13414-020-02158-0