ABSTRACT
In this paper we present a cognitive-modeling analysis of processes of volitional action control in multiple-task performance. We simulated experimentally obtained effects of goal competition and task difficulty on processing strategies and performance in a high-level learning and problem-solving task within the Act-R architecture (version 4.0). Beyond the model’s capacity for explaining the empirical pattern of results, the fundamental processing mechanisms used for modeling, i.e., activation mechanisms and executive control productions are in line with current explanations of elementary executive control processes. Thus, we consider our modeling approach to be a solution to fill the gap between volitional control demands in real-world multiple-task performance and experimental findings on elementary executive functions.
