Abstract

Numerous previous studies using the dual-task methodology have indicated that the effect of attentional direction on the performance of motor skill differs as a function of skill levels. Whereas previous studies relied mostly on inter-individual comparisons, this study focused on how the effects of different attentional conditions change within individuals with practice. Participants were instructed to learn a short and a long keying sequence (three versus six keys) and then practiced under two block-wise alternating dual-task conditions. In each trial, a tone, either low- or high-pitched, was presented at one of the three/six keys and participants had to indicate either the pitch of the tone (extraneous dual task) or the key with which the tone was presented (skill-focused dual task) after finishing the execution of the keying sequence. Motor task performance was assessed by reaction time (RT) and movement duration (MD), and the concurrent cognitive task performance was assessed by the error rate. RT was faster in the skill-focused dual-task condition at the beginning of practice, whereas a generally shorter MD was found in the extraneous dual-task condition. The error rate in the extraneous dual task decreased with practice, whereas in the skill-focused dual task, it increased with practice. These results show that the effects of attentional direction differ not only as a function of the amount of practice but also as a function of the stage of information processing. Furthermore, our results indicate that the direction of attention alone does not explain the different patterns of performance at different skill levels seen across dual-task studies; rather, the skill levels, the nature of cognitive demands, the difficulty level of dual tasks, and the complexity of the motor skill could all drive performance differences.

摘要

许多先前使用双任务方法的研究表明，注意力方向对运动技能表现的影响随着技能水平的不同而不同。之前的研究主要依赖于个体间的比较，而本研究侧重于不同注意力条件的影响如何在个体中随着实践而变化。参与者被要求学习一个短键和一个长键序列（三个键和六个键），然后在两个逐块交替的双任务条件下练习。在每次试验中，在三个/六个键之一上呈现低音或高音的音调，参与者必须指出音调的音高（额外的双重任务）或呈现音调的键（以技能为重点的双重任务）在完成键控序列的执行后。运动任务的表现通过反应时间（RT）和运动持续时间（MD）进行评估，并发认知任务的表现通过错误率进行评估。练习开始时，在以技能为重点的双任务条件下，RT 速度更快，而在无关的双任务条件下，发现通常更短的 MD。外来双重任务的错误率随着练习而降低，而在以技能为重点的双重任务中，错误率随着练习而增加。这些结果表明，注意方向的影响不仅因练习量而异，而且因信息处理阶段而异。此外，我们的结果表明，单独的注意力方向并不能解释双任务研究中不同技能水平的不同表现模式；相反，技能水平，