Abstract:

Flexible strategy switch is an important condition for individuals to solve tasks effectively. It has been fully proved that strategy switch needs cost, but whether the strategy switch cost is symmetric or not remains uncertain. Based on existing research, we introduced two typical effects, strategy sequential difficult effects and sequential modulations of poorer-strategy effects, then proposed a hypothesis that asymmetric strategy switch cost may be the sum of symmetry switch cost and strategy sequence difficulty effect, and further put forward the idea to separate strategy sequential difficult effects from sequential modulations of poorer-strategy effects by manipulating time variable. In addition, it made a new explanation of the inertia and setback of strategy choice from the angle of strategy switch cost.

Key words: strategy switch cost, strategy sequence effect, strategy sequential difficult effects, sequential modulations of poorer-strategy effects