Conversation Impairs the Expression of Learned Sequence Information in a Simulated Driving Environment

Abstract

Investigations of temporal sequence learning suggest that both learning and the expression of learning may be impaired by the performance of a secondary task. The generalizability of these findings to real-world applications is not, however, clear. Using a high-fidelity driving simulator, the current study investigated visual sequence learning in a practice/transfer design that manipulated secondary task requirements using a naturalistic conversation task. Consistent with previous research, results indicated that secondary task performance both reduced visual sequence learning and resulted in impairments to the expression of learning. These findings extend the theoretical account of dual-task impairment in complex environments by suggesting that task secondary task requirements can impair both the acquisition and retrieval of visual sequence memory.