Abstract:
Task-switching studies are a popular measure of executive control, yet the influence of stimulus repetition in these studies is less well recognized. One theory from the literature states that stimuli associated with a certain response interfere with processing of those same stimuli in another task, contributing to task switching costs (Waszak, Hommel, &Allport, 2003). The current study varied stimulus repetition in younger and older adults and found that the previous task associated with a stimulus does influence overall performance but did not find the expected interaction of switch and repetition conditions. Results of this study extend our information about the role of stimulus repetition in task-switching studies as well as how this repetition relates to age differences in switch costs.