Multitasking

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题目与答案

1. 27 The main purpose of René Marois's experiment was to establish
   • whether some people are more capable of multitasking than others
   • the stage at which people become too overloaded with input to respond efficiently
   • whether a person can perform tasks simultaneously in different situations
   • the difference in a person's reactions to visual and auditory stimuli

   答案：the stage at which people become too overloaded with input to respond efficiently

   原文定位：The problem, according to René Marois, a psychologist at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, is that there's a sticking point in the brain. In order to locate this, Marois asked volunteers to watch a screen and press a key with a specific finger when a particular image appeared;It appeared that if the second task is introduced within the half-second or so it takes to process and react to the first, it will simply be delayed until the first one is done

   同义替换：「respond efficiently」↔「process and react to the first, it will simply be delayed」

2. 28 What does David Meyer say about dual-task performance?
   • Certain types of tasks are easier to carry out concurrently than others
   • Success rates vary according to the complexity of the responses required
   • Anybody can achieve dual-task competence if they repeat the exercise enough times
   • Success at dual-task activities depends on the person concerned

   答案：Success at dual-task activities depends on the person concerned

   原文定位：Meyer argues that individual differences come down to variations in the character of the proceessor-some brains are just more 'cautious', some more 'daring

3. 29 On what point do Marois and Meyer agree?
   • the role of the subconscious in interpreting dual-task stimuli
   • the reason underlying the delay in response to dual-task stimuli
   • the value of repetition in improving performance in dual-task situations
   • the cognitive process enabling us to perform dual tasks competently

   答案：the value of repetition in improving performance in dual-task situations

   原文定位：His experiments have show that with enough practice at least 200 tries-some people can execute two tasks simultaneously as competently as if they were doing them one after another;Marois's volunteers have also shown a huge improvement at managing concurrent tasks through regular practice. Where he disagrees with Meyer is in what the brain is doing to achieve this

   同义替换：「repetition」↔「practice」

4. 30 According to Pierre Jolicoeur, the kind of dual tasks which can benefit from practice are those involving
   • combinations which mirror the way people acquire basic skills
   • procedures which form part of people's everyday activities
   • a spoken response to a visual prompt
   • a motor response to an auditory stimulus

   答案：combinations which mirror the way people acquire basic skills

   原文定位：Dual tasks involving visual stimulus and a motor response* (which he dubs 'in the eye and out the hand") and auditory stimulus with a verbal response (in the ear and out the mouth) can, with enough training, be performed as well together as apart. He speculates that the brain connections they use may be somehow special,because we learn to speak by hearing and learn to move by looking

   同义替换：「mirror the way people acquire basic skills」↔「we learn to speak by hearing and learn to move by looking」

5. 31 In his dual-task experiments, Art Kramer observed that,compared with younger participants, older people
   • performed better in some aspects of the study
   • found it harder to concentrate on key aspects of driving
   • were less able to respond to the conversational input
   • gained little from repeated practice of the tasks

   答案：found it harder to concentrate on key aspects of driving

   原文定位：He found that while younger drivers tended to miss background changes, older drivers failed to notice things that were highly relevant as well, and likewise had more trouble paying attention to the more important parts of the scene

   同义替换：「younger participants」↔「younger drivers」，「found it harder to concentrate on key aspects of driving」↔「had more trouble paying attention to the more important parts of the scene」

6. The phrase 'attentional blink' describes
   • the delay in deciding on an appropriate reaction to a stimulus.
   • variations between people in their ability to respond to dual-task situations.
   • the period when we are processing input and therefore unable to take in further information.
   • a mechanism which places tasks in sequence according to their perceived importance.
   • a failure to identify differences between similar images.

   答案：the period when we are processing input and therefore unable to take in further information.

   原文定位：The first is simply identifying what we're looking at. This can take a few tenths of second, during which crucial window of concentration we are incapable of seeing and recognising a second item. This limitation is known as the attentional blink

   同义替换：「describes」↔「known as」，「unable to take in further information」↔「incapable of seeing and recognising a second item」，「period」↔「window of concentration」

7. Scientists talk about 'change blindness' to denote
   • the delay in deciding on an appropriate reaction to a stimulus.
   • variations between people in their ability to respond to dual-task situations.
   • the period when we are processing input and therefore unable to take in further information.
   • a mechanism which places tasks in sequence according to their perceived importance.
   • a failure to identify differences between similar images.

   答案：a failure to identify differences between similar images.

   原文定位：A second limitation is our short-term visual memory. This capacity shortage is thought to explain, in part, our astonishing inability to detect even huge changes in scenes that are otherwise identical, so-called change blindness

   同义替换：「denote」↔「so-called」，「failure to identify differences between similar images」↔「inability to detect even huge changes in scenes that are otherwise identical」

8. The idea of the 'response selection bottleneck' was suggested as an explanation for
   • the delay in deciding on an appropriate reaction to a stimulus.
   • variations between people in their ability to respond to dual-task situations.
   • the period when we are processing input and therefore unable to take in further information.
   • a mechanism which places tasks in sequence according to their perceived importance.
   • a failure to identify differences between similar images.

   答案：the delay in deciding on an appropriate reaction to a stimulus.

   原文定位：A third limitation is that choosing a response also takes brainpower. Selecting a response to one stimulus will hold back by some tenths of a second your ability to respond to a parallel one. This is called the response selection bottleneck theory, first proposed in 1952, and elaborated on by Marois and his colleagues in 2006

   同义替换：「delay in deciding on an appropriate reaction to a stimulus」↔「Selecting a response to one stimulus will hold back by some tenths of a second your ability to respond to a parallel one」

9. Meyer uses the term `adaptive executive control' to refer to
   • the delay in deciding on an appropriate reaction to a stimulus.
   • variations between people in their ability to respond to dual-task situations.
   • the period when we are processing input and therefore unable to take in further information.
   • a mechanism which places tasks in sequence according to their perceived importance.
   • a failure to identify differences between similar images.

   答案：a mechanism which places tasks in sequence according to their perceived importance.

   原文定位：Meyer believes that it's not a central bottleneck which causes dual-task 'interference' but rather adaptive executive control which 'schedules task processes appropriately to obey instructions about their relative priorities and serial order

   同义替换：「places tasks in sequence」↔「schedules task processes appropriately」，「according to their perceived importance」↔「relative priorities and serial order」

10. 36 In the scientific community, Meyer's theories receive less support than those of Marois.
    • YES
    • NO
    • NOT GIVEN

    答案：NOT GIVEN

11. 37 It is commonly thought that gender plays a significant role in determining dual-task performance.
    • YES
    • NO
    • NOT GIVEN

    答案：NO

    原文定位：And contrary to popular belief, there are no noticeable difference between men and women

    同义替换：「commonly thought」↔「popular belief」，「gender」↔「men and women」，「plays a significant role」↔「noticeable difference」

12. 38 Jolicoeur's experiments on dual-task competence took placeunder laboratory conditions.
    • YES
    • NO
    • NOT GIVEN

    答案：YES

    原文定位：For research purposes, these experiments have to be kept simple. Real-world multitasking poses much greater challenges

    同义替换：「took place under laboratory conditions」↔「For research purposes, these experiments have to be kept simple」

13. 39 Research into phone use while driving has produced some surprising results.
    • YES
    • NO
    • NOT GIVEN

    答案：YES

    原文定位：And according to results from a study at the University of Utah, even using a hands free phone does not improve a driver's response time. The study confirms that what distracts a driver so badly is the very act of talking to someone who isn't present in the car and therefore is unaware of the hazards facing the driver

    同义替换：「Research into」↔「study」

14. 40 Kramer's initial findings about cognitive abilities and aging confirm popular assumptions.
    • YES
    • NO
    • NOT GIVEN

    答案：YES

    原文定位：And the general preconception that we tend to get worse at multitasking as we age is born out