| Abstract: | Studies have shown that task sets could be configured endogenously (i.e., on the basis of memory) according to an explicit
sequence or exogenously according to a task cue. In two experiments, we examined whether an implicitly learned sequence could
facilitate task set configuration without participants’ intention. These experiments led to opposite conclusions regarding
this question, but their methodology made it impossible to distinguish between the interpretations. We altered the task-switching
paradigm by embedding a hidden task sequence, while randomizing all other aspects, including perceptual (i.e., task cues)
and motor elements. We found that a sequence of tasks, proper, was learned implicitly and that the memory of that sequence
endogenously facilitated task decision processes without the participants’ explicit knowledge. |
