SUBCONSCIOUS INTERACTION WITH
CONSCIOUSNESS THROUGH TASK SETTING (1)
Performers,
whether a train operator, an airplane pilot or an air traffic controller and
also the most simple human being uses task sets to achieve its goals in
life. A person trying to reach a goal
first decides to do what has to be done
to achieve it. In order to drive to the
super market you have to decide which route to take. This setting of target brings the setting of
details that have to be done, hence the task set is created. There may also be
higher levels of task sets being formed by sub -tasksets.
I believe
tasksets are an important instrument that function in the interaction of
subconscious with the consciousness. I
will provide 2 introductory blog notes that are composed of references to the
task sets in the literature. I will
comment on these in relation to the function of task sets to the
subconscious-consciousness interaction in my third note.
The brain determines our thoughts and behaviors through tasksets. A task
set is a configuration of cognitive processes that is actively maintained for
subsequent task performance[1] .
A task is the representation of a set of
instructions required to perform an activity accurately; a task set is the set
of representations and processes that enable execution of the task [2]
.
It was investigated that whether tasksets operate as a single,
integrated representation or as an agglomeration of relatively independent
components. ... The results thus support the
“agglomerated-task-set” hypothesis, and are in consistent with “integrated
tasksets [10] .”
Task switching, or set-shifting, is an executive function that involves the
ability to to unconsciously shift
attention between one task and another. In contrast, cognitive shifting is a
very similar executive function, but it involves conscious (not unconscious)
change in attention. Together, these two functions are subcategories of the
broader cognitive flexibility concept.
Task switching allows a person to rapidly and efficiently adapt to
different situations [3] .
This is about mental
flexibility in task performance. A task is always some combination of stimuli,
responses and goals. Often, these components are always consistent so we can
readily learn the only right way to perform the task. Sometimes, however, the
stimuli can change, or the goal of the task can change, or the way to respond
can change. In these cases, we have to adjust our mental setting or “set” so as
to switch to the new way of performing. The ability to quickly and accurately
switch one’s mental settings for task performance is known as set-shifting [4]
.
Some
researchers argue that task switching involves task-set reconfiguration—that
is, changing the existing task set to perform a different task. ... this
reconfiguration led to switch costs [5] .
5 proposed
components of mental set shifting [9] :
1-
switching
between judgments,
2-
stimulus
dimensions,
3-
stimulus–response
mappings,
4-
response
sets,
5-
stimulus
sets.
Prospective
memory (PM) is defined as remembering to perform an action in the future. There
are
two
main types of PM according to their different cues: event-based prospective
memory (EBPM)
and
time-based prospective memory (TBPM) (Einstein
and McDaniel, 1990). Both EBPM and
TBPM
are necessary for daily life. EBPM is the remembering what one does when a
certain target
event
occurs. For example, one remembers to buy milk when one passes by the
supermarket. TBPM
is
involved when one has to perform an action in relation to time, such as
returning a library book
before a due date [6].
Prospective memory tasks highly
related to a person’s goals and concerns will be rated as more important [7] .
Mnemonic
strategies generally improve prospective memory (PM) performance. However,
little is known about why people use such strategies. In the
Motivational-Cognitive Prospective Memory model, task importance is thought to
influence performance via multiple mechanisms, including increased strategy use [8]
.
REFERENCES:
[1] ; Task set and prefrontal cortex,
Annu Rev Neurosci, 2008;31:219-45.
Department of Cognitive
Neuroscience, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1
Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan; email: ksakai@m.u-tokyo.ac.jp
[2] D. W. Schneider, G. Logan; 2 Tasks, Task Sets, and the
Mapping Between Them ;Pages 27–44, June 2014
[3] Task switching (psychology); WIKIPEDIA
[5]
Darryl W. Schneider and Gordon D. Logan; Defining task-set reconfiguration: The
case of reference point switching; Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee;
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review 2007, 14 (1), 118-125
[6] Hongxia Zhang, Weihai Tang2† and Xiping Liu; The Effect of Task
Duration on Event-Based Prospective Memory: Front. Psychol. 8:1895.
[7]
Suzanna L. Penningroth • Walter D. Scott; Prospective memory tasks related to
goals and concerns are rated as more important by both young and older
adults; Springer-Verlag Berlin
Heidelberg 2013
[8] Penningroth, S.
L., & Scott, W. D. (2013). Task importance effects on prospective memory
strategy use, Applied Cognitive Psychology, 27, 655-662.
[9] Claudia C. von Bastian and Michel D. Druey; Shifting
Between Mental Sets: An Individual Differences
Approach to Commonalities and Differences of Task Switching
Components; (2017, June 8). Journal of
Experimental Psychology
[10] Dragan Rangelov, Thomas Töllner,
Hermann J.Müller and Michael Zehetleitner; What are task-sets: a single, integrated
representation or a collection of multiple control representations?; Journal of
Experimental Psychology; 2000, Vol. 26, No. 5, 1124-1140
]
