The present study asks how behavioral (dual-action) demands in dual tasks are mentally represented and whether changes in representation might govern practice-related dual-task performance improvements. Three different representation accounts were empirically tested based on the idea that dual-action demands required in a dual-task trial might be represented in different ways. According to a compositional (Structuralist) account, component tasks remain structurally intact when combined with another task. In contrast, a holistic (Gestalt) account posits that dual-action requirements in dual tasks are represented holistically and entirely distinct from its component action requirements. Finally, a contextual change account assumes that a change in context (e.g., from single- to dual-action requirement) generally impedes response retrieval, similar to repeating a response while the task context switches. To address this issue, we analyzed trial-by-trial effects in a single/dual switch paradigm (SDS paradigm, involving a randomized mix of single- and dual-task trials within blocks). Specifically, we analyzed performance in an extensive dual-task training setting (involving training sessions across several days) combining an auditory-vocal task and a visual-manual task. The results indicated that, throughout practice, nearly all relevant comparisons of performance between complete switch trials (e.g., between the two single tasks) and partial repetition trials (e.g., from dual to single task) revealed partial repetition benefits, that is, for both the auditory-vocal and the visual-manual task, and for both single- and dual-task performance analyses. Therefore, dual-action requirements in the present dual-task setting are mentally represented in a compositional, Structuralist fashion, probably due to low between-task dimensional overlap.

本研究询问如何在心理上表示双重任务中的行为（双重行动）要求，以及代表形式的变化是否可以指导与实践相关的双重任务性能的提高。根据双任务试验中可能需要以不同方式表示双重行动需求的思想，对三个不同的表示形式帐户进行了经验测试。根据组成（结构主义者）的说法，与其他任务结合使用时，组件任务在结构上保持完整。相反，整体（格式塔）帐户假定双重任务中的双重行动要求是整体表示的，完全不同于其组件行动要求。最后，一个上下文变更帐户假设上下文的更改（例如，从单动作要求变为双动作要求）通常会阻碍响应检索，类似于在任务上下文切换时重复响应。为了解决此问题，我们分析了单/双转换范例（SDS范例，涉及在块内单任务和双任务试验的随机组合）的逐次试验效果。具体来说，我们在广泛的双任务训练环境中进行了性能分析（涉及为期数天的培训课程），其中结合了听觉-声音任务和视觉-手动任务。结果表明，在整个练习中，几乎所有相关的性能比较都在完全转换试验（例如，两个单一任务之间）和部分重复试验（例如，从双重任务到单个任务）之间表现出部分重复的好处，即针对听觉和视觉手动任务，以及单任务和双任务性能分析。因此，目前的双重任务设置中的双重行动要求在心理上以一种结构化，结构化的方式表示出来，这可能是由于任务间维度重叠较低所致。