Dual Task Automatic and Controlled Processing in Visual Search: Can It Be Done without Cost?
Abstract
The automatic/control processing framework proposes that automatic processing can be done without cost. Experiments utilized a multiple frame procedure in which subjects searched for one target character in a series of 12 rapidly presented frames. The type of processing, controlled or automatic, was manipulated by requiring search for variably mapped (VM), or consistently mapped (CM), target and distractor sets. Subjects participated in either single VM (controlled processing), single CM (automatic processing), or dual CM/VM search conditions. Small dual task hit rate decrements (less than 5%) occurred if subjects dual processed the same location, larger decrements (greater than 10%) occurred if each process was carried out on a different diagonal. The deficits were shown to be the result of a large criterion shift (beta=69) in the automatic process. Combining joint automatic and control processing with emphasis on the control processing task was shown to cause no sensitivity change in either task and a severe criterion shift in the automatic process. Automatic (CM) processing performance was shown to become less resource demanding with practice. However, control processing (VM) conditions were always sensitive to resource reductions and were influenced by target probability effects. Subjects showed a tendency to waste control process resources when performing an automatic process. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 09, 1980
- Accession Number
- ADA084143
Entities
People
- Arthur D. Fisk
- Walter Schneider
Organizations
- University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign