Display options
Cite
Kray J, Gaspard H, Karbach J, et al. Developmental changes in using verbal self-cueing in task-switching situations: the impact of task practice and task-sequencing demands. Front Psychol. 2013;4:940doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00940.
Kray, J., Gaspard, H., Karbach, J., & Blaye, A. (2013). Developmental changes in using verbal self-cueing in task-switching situations: the impact of task practice and task-sequencing demands. Frontiers in psychology, 4940. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00940
Kray, Jutta, et al. "Developmental changes in using verbal self-cueing in task-switching situations: the impact of task practice and task-sequencing demands." Frontiers in psychology vol. 4 (2013): 940. doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00940
Kray J, Gaspard H, Karbach J, Blaye A. Developmental changes in using verbal self-cueing in task-switching situations: the impact of task practice and task-sequencing demands. Front Psychol. 2013 Dec 17;4:940. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00940. eCollection 2013. PMID: 24381566; PMCID: PMC3865368.
Copy Download .nbib Format: NLM
Share it on

Front Psychol. 2013 Dec 17;4:940. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00940. eCollection 2013.

Developmental changes in using verbal self-cueing in task-switching situations: the impact of task practice and task-sequencing demands.

Frontiers in psychology

Jutta Kray, Hanna Gaspard, Julia Karbach, Agnès Blaye

Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Development of Language, Learning and Action, Saarland University Saarbrücken, Germany.
  2. Department of Psychology, Development of Language, Learning and Action, Saarland University Saarbrücken, Germany ; Center for Educational Science and Psychology, University of Tübingen Tübingen, Germany.
  3. Department of Psychology, Development of Language, Learning and Action, Saarland University Saarbrücken, Germany ; Educational Psychology, Saarland University Saarbrücken, Germany.
  4. Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive, UMR 7290, Aix-Marseille Université Marseille, France.

PMID: 24381566 PMCID: PMC3865368 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00940

Abstract

In this study we examined whether developmental changes in using verbal self-cueing for task-goal maintenance are dependent on the amount of task practice and task-sequencing demands. To measure task-goal maintenance we applied a switching paradigm in which children either performed only task A or B in single-task blocks or switched between them on every second trial in mixed-task blocks. Task-goal maintenance was determined by comparing the performance between both blocks (mixing costs). The influence of verbal self-cueing was measured by instructing children to either name the next task aloud or not to verbalize during task preparation. Task-sequencing demands were varied between groups whereas one group received spatial task cues to support keeping track of the task sequence, while the other group did not. We also varied by the amount of prior practice in task switching while one group of participants practiced task switching first, before performing the task naming in addition, and the other group did it vice versa. Results of our study investigating younger (8-10 years) and older children (11-13 years) revealed no age differences in beneficial effects of verbal self-cueing. In line with previous findings, children showed reduced mixing costs under task-naming instructions and under conditions of low task-sequence demands (with the presence of spatial task cues). Our results also indicated that these benefits were only obtained for those groups of children that first received practice in task switching alone with no additional verbalization instruction. These findings suggest that internal task-cueing strategies can be efficiently used in children but only if they received prior practice in the underlying task so that demands on keeping and coordinating various instructions are reduced. Moreover, children benefitted from spatial task cues for better task-goal maintenance only if no verbal task-cueing strategy was introduced first.

Keywords: childhood; practice; task switching; verbal self-cueing; working memory

References

  1. Child Dev. 2004 Sep-Oct;75(5):1594-609 - PubMed
  2. Dev Psychol. 2009 Sep;45(5):1465-79 - PubMed
  3. Acta Psychol (Amst). 2004 Feb-Mar;115(2-3):143-65 - PubMed
  4. Dev Sci. 2008 Mar;11(2):223-36 - PubMed
  5. Mem Cognit. 2005 Jun;33(4):611-23 - PubMed
  6. J Exp Psychol Gen. 2001 Dec;130(4):641-57 - PubMed
  7. Acta Psychol (Amst). 2004 Feb-Mar;115(2-3):123-42 - PubMed
  8. Psychol Sci. 2004 Mar;15(3):155-63 - PubMed
  9. J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn. 2006 Mar;32(2):347-63 - PubMed
  10. Top Cogn Sci. 2010 Oct;2(4):631-42 - PubMed
  11. Dev Psychol. 2004 Mar;40(2):177-90 - PubMed
  12. Memory. 2004 May;12(3):257-71 - PubMed
  13. Psychol Bull. 2010 Sep;136(5):849-74 - PubMed
  14. Front Aging Neurosci. 2010 Nov 16;2:147 - PubMed
  15. Psychophysiology. 2011 Sep;48(9):1258-75 - PubMed
  16. Dev Psychol. 2001 Sep;37(5):715-30 - PubMed
  17. Behav Brain Funct. 2009 Sep 15;5:38 - PubMed
  18. Dev Psychol. 2009 May;45(3):782-97 - PubMed
  19. Psychol Aging. 2000 Mar;15(1):126-47 - PubMed
  20. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove). 2012;65(2):209-32 - PubMed
  21. Dev Sci. 2004 Sep;7(4):443-55 - PubMed
  22. Dev Sci. 2009 Nov;12(6):978-90 - PubMed
  23. Acta Psychol (Amst). 2012 Jun;140(2):119-28 - PubMed
  24. Dev Psychol. 2005 Jul;41(4):661-71 - PubMed
  25. J Exp Child Psychol. 2011 Mar;108(3):484-503 - PubMed
  26. J Exp Child Psychol. 2011 Mar;108(3):469-83 - PubMed
  27. Psychol Aging. 2010 Sep;25(3):677-83 - PubMed
  28. Acta Psychol (Amst). 2009 Jan;130(1):48-57 - PubMed
  29. Front Hum Neurosci. 2012 Jan 03;5:180 - PubMed

Publication Types