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ERIC Number: EJ1461020
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Dec
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: EISSN-2365-7464
Available Date: 2025-02-08
Multitasking: Does Task-Switching Add to the Effect of Dual-Tasking on Everyday-Like Driving Behavior?
Piesie A. G. Asuako1; Robert Stojan1; Otmar Bock2; Melanie Mack3; Claudia Voelcker-Rehage1
Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications, v10 Article 5 2025
It is well established that performing multiple tasks simultaneously (dual-tasking) or sequentially (task-switching) degrades performance on one or both tasks. However, it is unknown whether task-switching adds to the effects of dual-tasking in a single setup. We investigated this in a simulated everyday-like car driving scenario. We expected an additive effect of task-switching on dual-tasking, leading to a stronger deterioration of driving performance due to the increased cognitive load required to handle multiple task-sets. Forty-five young adults aged 18 to 30 years (age: 23.62 ± 2.51, 28 females) were instructed to follow a lead car driving at a constant speed of 70 km/h through a rural landscape while concurrently performing additional tasks. The additional tasks were typing and arguing, in response to stimuli presented visually or auditorily. The tasks were presented either in separate blocks or in intermixed order (conditions: repetitive vs. switching). Driving performance was assessed by use of the average velocity and the standard deviation of lateral position, and performance in the additional tasks was assessed by reaction time. Linear-mixed effect models revealed better performance in the repetitive, compared to the switch condition only for the standard deviation of the lateral lane position while performing the additional typing task. This provides limited evidence for the view that task-switching adds to the challenges of dual-tasking. We therefore posit that already dual-tasking alone involves processing demands that are not substantially increased by adding switching demands.
Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link-springer-com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1University of Muenster, Department of Neuromotor Behavior and Exercise, Institute of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Muenster, Germany; 2German Sport University, Institute of Exercise Training and Sport Informatics, Cologne, Germany; 3University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland