کد مقاله | کد نشریه | سال انتشار | مقاله انگلیسی | نسخه تمام متن |
---|---|---|---|---|
4320763 | 1291530 | 2015 | 11 صفحه PDF | دانلود رایگان |
• The brain activity was recorded while subjects performed a dual task
• Multivariate pattern analyses were applied to decompose the chains brain processes
• Chains of brain processes were initially parallel and then mutually exclusive
• A new theoretical framework for multitasking is proposed
SummaryThe human brain exhibits fundamental limitations in multitasking. When subjects engage in a primary task, their ability to respond to a second stimulus is degraded. Two competing models of multitasking have been proposed: either cognitive resources are shared between tasks, or they are allocated to each task serially. Using a novel combination of magneto-encephalography and multivariate pattern analyses, we obtained a precise spatio-temporal decomposition of the brain processes at work during multitasking. We discovered that each task relies on a sequence of brain processes. These sequences can operate in parallel for several hundred milliseconds but beyond ∼500 ms, they repel each other: processes evoked by the first task are shortened, while processes of the second task are either lengthened or postponed. These results contradict the resource-sharing model and further demonstrate that the serial model is incomplete. We therefore propose a new theoretical framework for the computational architecture underlying multitasking.
Journal: - Volume 88, Issue 6, 16 December 2015, Pages 1297–1307