Task Switching - Improving Brain Response Time

Task switching refers to the ability of a person to move from one rule-set to another rule-set corresponding to an external cue. In this document we will refer to the scenario of changing the current rule-set as “between” (since the brain game player changes between tasks) and non-transition trials will be referred to as “within” (as the player stays within the same task)

It is expected the “within” trials will be involved with performance costs:

- The response time in transition trials is expected to be longer.
- It is more likely to make errors in these trials.

In scientific literature “task switching” is mostly held as follows:

1. Setting a sign that informs what is the current rule set – mostly the sign is the color of the stimuli.
2. Practicing each simple rule application separately – practice a specific rule without rule transitions.
3. Task switching – alternating the current rule randomly, while having trials that require not rule transition and trials that require rule transition.

Further options:

* Rules can be made more complex with practice – conditioning response with more than one condition fulfillment. (For example – if player needed to respond to arrow pointing right, adding one more arrow and setting the rule to be – respond only if upper arrow points right)

* More rules can be added with time – (for example if player so far needed to click only red triangles and green circles now he also needs to click blue squares).

* Informing the player that next trial is a switch trial – research shows that there is a preparation effect – if the player knows in advance that a switch is due the costs of the transition is minimized. Same goes for non-random transitions, once the player knows the sequence the switching cost is reduced.

The rules should be presented to the memory game player at all times.