Can Subjective Time Cost Explain Cognitive Task Choices?

Title

Can Subjective Time Cost Explain Cognitive Task Choices?

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Publication Date

4-2020

Document Type

Poster

Presentation Type

Individual

Degree Type

Graduate

Department

Psychology

Mentor

Dawn McBride

Mentor Department

Psychology

Abstract

Previous research (Potts et al., 2018; Rosenbaum & Bui, 2019) suggests that participants' time estimates for completing the tasks is the primary predictive factor of task choice. However, these past studies have only compared a perceptual-motor task with a cognitive task. The current study compares cognitive to cognitive tasks. The purpose of the current study is to investigate the factors that contribute to task choices for cognitive factors. Participants will be given instructions on the three tasks (box-moving, item generation, and addition/subtraction problems). After receiving the instructions, participants will then make an estimate of how long each task will take them. They will then be given a series of trials where they choose between two of the three tasks. Difficulty levels of the tasks will vary across trials. Participants will complete whichever task they choose within each pair of tasks presented. Based on results from past studies, we predict that participants’ subjective time estimates will predict which cognitive task they will choose to complete in each pair of tasks given.

Can Subjective Time Cost Explain Cognitive Task Choices?
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