Task switching (psychology)

Not to be confused with Cognitive-shifting.

Task switching, or set-shifting, is an executive function that involves the ability to unconsciously shift attention between one task and another. In contrast, cognitive shifting is a very similar executive function, but it involves conscious (not unconscious) change in attention. Together, these two functions are subcategories of the broader cognitive flexibility concept.

Task switching allows a person to rapidly and efficiently adapt to different situations. It is often studied by cognitive and experimental psychologists, and can be tested experimentally using tasks like the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. Deficits in task switching are commonly observed in patients with Parkinson's disease,[1][2] and in those on the autism spectrum.[3][4]

  1. ^ Monchi, O.; Petrides, M.; Doyon, J.; Postuma, R. B.; Worsley, K.; Dagher, A. (2004). "Neural Bases of Set-Shifting Deficits in Parkinson's Disease". Journal of Neuroscience. 24 (3): 702–710. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4860-03.2004. PMC 6729250. PMID 14736856.
  2. ^ Sawada, Y.; Nishio, Y.; Suzuki, K.; Hirayama, K.; Takeda, A.; Hosokai, Y.; Ishioka, T.; Itoyama, Y.; Takahashi, S.; Fukuda, H.; Mori, E. (2012). García, Antonio Verdejo (ed.). "Attentional Set-Shifting Deficit in Parkinson's Disease is Associated with Prefrontal Dysfunction: An FDG-PET Study". PLOS ONE. 7 (6): e38498. Bibcode:2012PLoSO...738498S. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0038498. PMC 3369918. PMID 22685575.
  3. ^ Yerys, Benjamin E.; Wallace, Gregory L.; Kenworthy, Lauren E. (2009). "Set-shifting in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders". Autism. 13 (5): 523–538. doi:10.1177/1362361309335716. PMC 3018342. PMID 19759065.
  4. ^ Brady, Danielle I.; Schwean, Vicki L.; Saklofske, Adam W. (2013). "Conceptual and Perceptual Set-shifting Executive Abilities in Young Adults with Asperger's Syndrome". Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders. 7 (12): 1631–1637. doi:10.1016/j.rasd.2013.09.009.