Cognitive mechanisms of practice-related improvements in dual-task performance: Task automatization and the dual-task practice advantage

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Tilo Strobach
• Subject Area: General, Cognitive and Mathematical Psychology
• Term: since 2026
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 572958695

When individuals perform two tasks concurrently in dual-task situations, performance is typically impaired relative to the execution of each task separately in single-task situations. These dual-task costs are commonly reflected in increased reaction times and/ or higher error rates in dual-task compared to single-task performance. However, a substantial body of research has demonstrated that such costs can be markedly reduced—and in rare instances, nearly eliminated—following extensive practice. The present proposal seeks to investigate the cognitive mechanisms underlying this practice-related improvement in dual-task performance. By establishing the bottleneck requirement hypothesis, this present proposal tests the validity of the dual-task practice advantage and the allocation and scheduling hypothesis. That is, dual-task performance is improved after dual-task practice compared to single-task practice. However, this improvement due to this dual-task practice advantage is exclusively valid under conditions of limited-capacity bottlenecks in the component tasks that constitute the dual-task situation, and when an allocation and scheduling of these bottlenecks is required. The assumptions of the dual-task practice advantage are invalid when there are no bottlenecks and when tasks are automatized. The present proposal tests these assumptions of the bottleneck requirement hypothesis in younger adults (Objective 1) and older adults (Objective 2). By examining the cognitive mechanisms underlying the practice-related improvement in dual-task performance, the proposed research contributes to a deeper understanding of the processing architecture and plasticity of the cognitive system. Ultimately, this work aims to advance knowledge regarding the system’s capacity limitations in multitasking contexts and how these limitations may be modulated through practice.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants