What is dual task paradigm?

The dual task paradigm is a technique used in cognitive psychology to investigate how people perform two tasks simultaneously, and how attention is distributed between them. Typically, the paradigm involves participants performing two tasks at the same time, such as a primary task that requires focused attention, and a secondary task that serves as a distractor or requires less attention.

Dual-task experiments can be used to measure the effects of multitasking on performance, to assess the cost of attentional resources when two tasks are performed simultaneously, and to investigate the mechanisms of attentional allocation that support multitasking. The paradigm is widely used in the study of human cognition and has been applied to various domains, such as driving, aviation, and sports.

One of the most common measures of the dual task paradigm is the dual-task cost, which refers to the increase in reaction time or decrease in accuracy of the primary task when a secondary task is added. The magnitude of the dual-task cost is used to estimate the attentional demands of the two tasks and to evaluate how effectively attention is allocated between them.

Overall, the dual task paradigm provides a useful method for investigating the cognitive processes underlying multitasking and for providing insights into human performance in complex and dynamic environments.