Inattention and task switching performance: the role of predictability, working memory load and goal neglect

Summary & key facts

Two studies tested how self-rated inattention relates to switching between tasks. Study 1 found that higher inattention (but not hyperactivity/impulsivity) was linked with larger switch costs when the next task could be predicted and working memory load was high. Study 2 found this link was not explained by predictability or by having to keep track of task order, but by a tendency for people high in inattention to skip preparatory (proactive) control, especially when they could rely on reactive control instead. These results are correlational and come from adults who rated their own attention traits.

Key facts:

• In study 1, self-reported inattention predicted larger task-switching costs only when switching was predictable and working memory load was high.
• In study 1, neither inattentive nor hyperactive/impulsive traits predicted switch costs when switching was unpredictable.
• Study 2 showed that the association between inattention and switch costs was not due to predictability of the task or to the need to keep track of task order.
• Study 2 attributed the inattention–switch cost link to a tendency for people high in inattention to neglect preparatory (proactive) control, especially when reactive control options were available.
• The paper notes that inattention is closely linked in prior research to limitations in working memory, and that ADHD-related traits are best seen as a continuum (not just a clinical category).
• The authors report background prevalence estimates of ADHD of about 5–10% in childhood and about 4.4% in adulthood, citing prior literature.

Topics

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Cognitive Functions and Memory Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies

Categories

Cognitive Neuroscience Life Sciences Neuroscience

Tags

Artificial intelligence Association (psychology) Cognition Cognitive psychology Computer science Control (management) Developmental psychology Economics Management Neglect Neuroscience Physics Predictability Psychiatry Psychology Psychotherapist Quantum mechanics Task (project management) Task switching Working memory