The dual-task practice advantage: Empirical evidence and cognitive mechanisms

Abstract

Practice of two simultaneous component tasks in dual-task situations leads to an improvement in dual-task performance. The present paper reviews empirical evidence for this practice-related improvement and discusses its underlying cognitive mechanisms. In particular, the robustness of the phenomenon of dual-task practice advantage (DTPA) is evaluated. This phenomenon is described as an advantage in dual-task performance at the end of dual-task practice (i.e., simultaneous task practice) in comparison to the dual-task performance after single-task practice (i.e., separate task practice). The review investigates the existence of empirical evidence of the DTPA phenomenon and specifications of its mechanisms in the context of the allocation and scheduling hypothesis and the integration hypothesis. Evidence for the existence of the DTPA phenomenon and the allocation and scheduling hypothesis was demonstrated in dual tasks with (1) combinations of two sensorimotor tasks, (2) combinations of one continuous task and one sensorimotor task, (3) combinations of two working-memory tasks, and (4) combinations of one motor task and one cognitive task. In contrast, the findings demonstrate that the DTPA phenomenon in dual tasks with (5) combinations of two long-term memory retrieval tasks can instead be explained by the integration hypothesis. The relevance of these findings is discussed in relation to real-world problems.

Is Training with the N-Back Task More Effective Than with Other Tasks? N-Back vs. Dichotic Listening vs. Simple Listening

“…Our results agree with findings from many other studies indicating that neither the efficacy of diverse cognitive training tasks nor the mechanisms underlying possible training benefits are well understood. Also, our results do not confirm a general advantage of dual-task training versus single-task training as outlined by Strobach (2020). Certainly, critical future directions for the cognitive training field are to collect data with larger samples, to compare more diverse types of cognitive training tasks, to implement these in extended interventions, to systematically investigate transfer to constructlevel variables and changes in memory performance and well-being in daily life, and to identify neural changes following cognitive training.…”

“…When the training tasks continually and sufficiently challenge the upper limits of attention and memory, trainees' cognitive abilities will increase in various cognitive tasks. Related to this model is the phenomenon of dual-task practice advantage which suggests an advantage of dual-task trainings versus single-task trainings in regard to their effects on performance in demanding cognitive tasks (see Strobach, 2020). Finally, other approaches assume that cognitive training enhances the efficiency of the specific processes involved in the training (e.g., Dahlin et al, 2008) or develops the highly specific skills required to perform specific cognitive tasks (Gathercole et al, 2019).…”

Rationalizing constraints on the capacity for cognitive control

“…A growing number of studies demonstrate that dual-task performance can improve with dual-task practice relative to single task practice [87,[154][155][156]. Such effects can reduce [154,155] or even eliminate [157] the PRP.…”

Effect of public hospital managers' risk and gain perception on their attitude towards physician dual practice: a cross-national study in 31 provinces of China

“…According to previous literature reviews, PDP had direct implications for access, equity, price and quality of the whole nation's health care service [21], and thus benefit the whole coverage of universal health. We found most public hospital managers in China agreed with its contribution for improving the health care service access [22], indicating that the "top-down designed" Medical Association works in bringing benefits to underserved areas by PDP, which usually binding profits and responsibilities of one tertiary large hospital with the other type medical institutions within the same region mainly in four types: urban medical group, county medical community, cross-regional specialized alliance, telemedicine collaboration network.…”