Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-q99xh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-28T04:24:49.009Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Task switching in mild cognitive impairment: Switch and nonswitch costs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2009

MAUREEN SCHMITTER-EDGECOMBE  and
CHAD SANDERS
MAUREEN SCHMITTER-EDGECOMBE*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington
CHAD SANDERS
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington
*
*Correspondence and reprint requests to: Maureen Schmitter-Edgecombe, Department of Psychology, P.O. Box 644820, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-4820. E-mail: schmitter-e@wsu.edu
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The ability to switch rapidly and fluidly between tasks is an important component of many everyday activities. In this study, we used a predictable, externally cued task-switching paradigm to investigate executive control processes in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Participants were 26 individuals with amnestic MCI and 26 healthy older adult (OA) controls. In the mixed-task trials, participants switched between classifying whether a digit was odd/even or a letter was a consonant/vowel on every fourth trial. In the single-task trials, participants completed only the digit task or letter task throughout the entire block. Task switching costs were decomposed into nonswitch costs, which reflect the dual nature of the task, and switch costs, which reflect set-shifting abilities. The results revealed that the MCI group was not affected more than the healthy OAs by the requirement of keeping two tasks sets active in working memory (nonswitch costs). In contrast, the cost of switching between the two tasks was significantly greater for the MCI group compared with the OA controls (switch costs). Future research is needed to better understand the nature and implications for daily living of the greater switch costs found for individuals with MCI. (JINS, 2009, 15, 103–111.)

Keywords

Mild cognitive impairmentDementiaExecutive functionsTask switchingDual taskSet-shifting
Type
Research Articles
Information
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , Volume 15 , Issue 1 , January 2009 , pp. 103 - 111
Copyright
Copyright © INS 2009

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Albert, M.S., Moss, M.B., Tanzi, R., & Jones, K. (2001). Preclinical prediction on AD using neuropsychological tests. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 7, 631–639.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Allport, D.A., Styles, E.A., & Hsieh, S. (1994). Shifting intentional set: Exploring the dynamic control of tasks. In Umilta, C. & Moscovitch, M. (Eds.), Attention and Performance XV: Conscious and Nonconscious Information Processing (pp. 421–452). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.Google Scholar
Artero, A., Tierney, M.C., Touchab, J., & Ritchie, K. (2003). Prediction of transition from cognitive impairment to senile dementia: A prospective longitudinal study. ACTA Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 107, 390–393.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Baddeley, A.D. (1986). Working Memory. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.Google ScholarPubMed
Baddeley, A., Chincotta, D., & Adlam, A. (2001). Working memory and the control of action: Evidence from task switching. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 130, 641–657.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Baudic, S., Barba, G.D., Thibaudet, M.C., Smagghe, A., Remy, P., & Traykov, L. (2006). Executive function deficits in early Alzheimer’s disease and their relations with episodic memory. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 21, 15–21.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chen, P., Ratcliff, G., Phil, D., Belle, S.H., Cauley, J.A., DeKosky, S.T., & Ganguli, M. (2000). Cognitive tests that best discriminate between presymptomatic AD and those who remain nondemented. Neurology, 55, 1847–1853.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Crowell, T.A., Luis, C.A., Vanderploeg, R.D., Schinka, J.A., & Mullan, M. (2002). Memory patterns and executive functioning in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease. Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition, 9, 288–297.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gopher, D., Armony, L., & Greenshpan, Y. (2000). Switching tasks and attention policies. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 129, 308–339.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Goschke, T. (2000). Intentional reconfiguration and involuntary persistence in task-set switching. In Monsell, S., & Driver, J. (Eds.), Attention and Performance XVIII: Cognitive Control (pp. 331–356). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.Google Scholar
Hughes, C.P., Berg, L., Danzinger, W.L., Coben, L.A., & Martin, R.L. (1982). A new clinical scale for the staging of dementia. British Journal of Psychiatry, 140, 566–572.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Keele, S. & Rafal, R. (2000). Deficits of task-set in patients with left prefrontal cortex lesions. In Monsell, S., & Driver, J.S. (Eds.), Control of Cognitive Processes: Attention and Performance XVIII (pp. 627–651). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.Google Scholar
Koch, I. (2003). The role of external cues for endogenous advance reconfiguration in task switching. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 10, 488–492.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kray, J. (2006). Task-set switching under cue-based and memory-based switching conditions in younger and older adults. Brain Research, 1105, 83–92.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kray, J., Eber, J., & Lindenberger, U. (2004). Age differences in executive functioning across the lifespan: The role of verbalization in task preparation. Acta Psychologica, 115, 143–165.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kray, J., Li, K.Z., & Lindenberger, U. (2002). Age-related changes in task switching components: The role of uncertainty. Brain & Cognition, 49, 363–381.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kray, J. & Lindenberger, U. (2000). Adult age differences in task switching. Psychology and Aging, 15, 126–147.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lezak, M.D. (1983). Neuropsychological Assessment (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Logan, G. (1985). Executive control of thought and action. Acta Psychologica, 60, 193–210.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mayr, U. (2001). Age differences in the selection of mental sets: The role of inhibition, stimulus ambiguity, and response-set overlap. Psychology and Aging, 16, 96–109.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McKhann, G., Drachman, D., Folstein, M., Katzman, R., Price, D., & Stadlan, E.M. (1984). Clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease: Report of the NINCDS-ADRDA Work Group under the auspices of the Department of Health and Human Services Task Force on Alzheimer’s Disease. Neurology, 34, 939–944.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Measso, G., Cavarzeran, F., Zappalà, G., & Lebowitz, B.D. (1993). The Mini-Mental State Examination: Normative study of an Italian random sample. Developmental Neuropsychology, 9, 77–85.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Meiran, N. (1996). Reconfiguration of processing mode prior to task performance. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 22, 1423–1442.Google Scholar
Meiran, N., Chorev, Z., & Sapir, A. (2000). Component processes in task switching. Cognitive Psychology, 41, 211–253.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Meiran, N., Gotler, A., & Perlman, A. (2001). Old age is associated with a pattern of relatively intact and relatively impaired task-set switching abilities. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 56B, P88–P102.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Milan, E.G., Sanabria, D., Tornay, F., & Gonzalez, A. (2005). The nature of residual cost in regular switch response factors. Acta Psychologica, 118, 319–331.Google Scholar
Monsell, S., Sumner, P., & Waters, H. (2003). Task-set reconfiguration with predictable and unpredictable switches. Memory and Cognition, 31, 327–342.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morris, J.C. (1993). The Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR): Current version and scoring rules. Neurology, 43, 2412–2414.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Morris, J.C., McKeel, D.W., Storandt, M., Rubin, E.H., Price, J.L., Grant, E.A., Ball, M.J., & Berg, L. (1991). Very mild Alzheimer’s disease: Informant-based clinical, psychometric, and pathologic distinction from normal aging. Neurology, 41, 469–478.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nordahl, C.W., Ranganath, C., Yonelinas, A.P., DeCarli, C., Reed, B.R., & Jagust, W.J. (2005). Different mechanisms of episodic memory failure in mild cognitive impairment. Neuropsychologia, 43, 1688–1697.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Norman, D.A. & Shallice, T. (1986). Attention to action: Willed and automatic control of behavior. In Davidson, R.J., Schwartz, G.E., & Shapiro, D. (Eds.), Consciousness and Self-regulation (Vol. 4, pp. 1–18). New York: Plenum.Google Scholar
Petersen, R.C., Doody, R., Kurz, A., Mohs, R.C., Morris, J.C., Rabins, P.V., Ritchie, K., Rossor, M., Thal, L., & Winblad, B. (2001). Current concepts in mild cognitive impairment. Archives of Neurology, 58, 1985–1992.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Reitan, R.M. (1958). Validity of the Trail Making Test as an indicator of organic brain damage. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 8, 271–276.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rogers, R.D. & Monsell, S. (1995). Costs of a predictable switch between simple cognitive tasks. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 124, 207–231.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Royall, D.R., Palmer, R., Chiodo, L.K., & Polk, M.J. (2004). Declining executive control in normal aging predicts change in functional status: The Freedom House Study. Journal of the American Geriatric Society, 52, 346–352.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rubeinstein, J.S., Meyer, D.E., & Evans, J.E. (2001). Executive control of cognitive processes in task switching. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 27, 763–797.Google Scholar
Saeki, E. & Saito, S. (2004). Effect of articulatory suppression on task-switching performance: Implications for models of working memory. Memory, 12, 257–271.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Saxton, J., Lopez, O.L., Ratcliff, G., Dulberg, C., Fried, L.P., Carlson, M.C., Newman, A.B., & Kuller, L. (2004). Preclinical Alzheimer disease: Neuropsychological test performance 1.5 to 8 years prior to onset. Neurology, 63, 2341–2347.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schmitter-Edgecombe, M. & Rueda, A.D. (2008). Time estimation and episodic memory following traumatic brain injury. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 30, 212–223.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schmitter-Edgecombe, M., Woo, E., & Greeley, D. (in press). Characterizing multiple memory deficits and their relation to everyday functioning in individuals with mild cognitive impairment. Neuropsychology.Google Scholar
Smith, A. (1991). Symbol Digit Modalities Test. Los Angeles: Western Psychological Services.Google Scholar
Sohn, M.H. & Anderson, J.R. (2001). Task preparation and task repetition: Two-component model of task switching. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 130, 764–778.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sohn, M.H., Ursu, S., Anderson, J.R., Stenger, V.A., & Carter, C.S. (2000). The role of prefrontal cortex and posterior parietal cortex in task-switching. Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 97, 13448–13453.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Strayer, D.L. & Kramer, A.F. (1994). Aging and skill acquisition: Learning-performance distinctions. Psychology and Aging, 9, 589–605.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
SuperLab Pro Beta Version Experimental Lab Software [Computer software]. (1999). San Pedro, CA: Cedrus Corporation.Google Scholar
Swainson, R., Cunnington, R., Jackson, G.M., Rorden, C., Peters, A.M., Morris, P.G., & Jackson, S.R. (2003). Cognitive control mechanisms revealed by ERP and fMRI: Evidence from repeated task-switching. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 15, 785–799.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
van Asselen, M. & Ridderinkhof, K.R. (2000). Shift costs of predictable and unexpected set shifting in young and older adults. Psychologica Belgica, 40, 259–273.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Welsh, K.A., Breitner, J.C.S., & Magruder-Habib, K.M. (1993). Detection of dementia in the elderly using telephone screening of cognitive status. Neuropsychiatry, Neuropsychology, & Behavioral Neurology, 6, 103–110.Google Scholar
Wetter, S.R., Delis, D.C., Houston, W.S., Jacobson, M.W., Lansing, A., Cobell, K., Salmon, D.P., & Bondi, M.W. (2005). Deficits in inhibition and flexibility associated with the APO-E$ allele in nondemented older adults. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 27, 943–952.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wylie, G. & Allport, A. (2000). Task switching and the measurement of “switch costs”. Psychological Research, 63, 212–233.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yesavage, J.A., Brink, T.L., Rose, T.L., Lum, O., Huang, V., Adey, M.B., & Leirer, V.O. (1983). Development and validation of a geriatric depression rating scale: A preliminary report. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 17, 37–49.CrossRefGoogle Scholar