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Treccani B, Mulatti C, Sulpizio S, Job R. Does Perceptual Simulation Explain Spatial Effects in Word Categorization? Front Psychol 2019; 10:1102. [PMID: 31156515 PMCID: PMC6533881 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2018] [Accepted: 04/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
In three experiments we investigated the origin of the effects of the compatibility between the typical location of entities denoted by written words (e.g., “up” for eagle and “down” for carpet) and either the actual position of the words on the screen (e.g., upper vs. lower part of the screen), or the response position (e.g., upper- vs. lower- key presses) in binary categorization tasks. Contrary to predictions of the perceptual simulation account (Barsalou, 1999), conceptual spatial compatibility effects observed in the present study (faster RTs when the typical position of the stimulus referent in the real word was compatible with either the stimulus or response physical position) seem to be independent of whether there was an overlap between simulated processes possibly triggered by the presented stimulus and sensory-motor processes actually required by the task. Rather, they appear to depend critically on whether the involved stimulus and/or response dimensions had binary, variable (vs. fixed) values. Notably, no stimulus–stimulus compatibility effect was observed in Experiment 3, when the stimulus physical position was presented in a blocked design (i.e., it was kept constant within each block of trials). In contrast, in all three experiments, a compatibility effect between response position and another (non-spatial) conceptual dimension of the stimulus (i.e., its semantic category) was observed (i.e., an effect analogous to the MARC [linguistic markedness of response codes] effect, which is usually observed in the number domain; Nuerk et al., 2004). This pattern of results is fully accounted for by the polarity principle, according to which these effects originate from the alignment of the polarities of either different stimulus dimensions or stimulus and response dimensions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Treccani
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Claudio Mulatti
- Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialisation, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Simone Sulpizio
- Faculty of Psychology, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Remo Job
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
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Treccani B, Ronconi L, Umiltà C. Role of stimulus and response feature overlap in between-task logical recoding. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2015; 81:157-167. [PMID: 26645824 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-015-0728-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2015] [Accepted: 11/13/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The reversal logical recoding rule (i.e., "respond opposite") induced by an incompatible task (e.g., a task requiring to respond to red or green stimuli by pressing a key of the alternative colour compared to that of the stimulus) can be transferred to another task when the two tasks are combined in a task-switching paradigm. When the task to which the rule is transferred is a Simon task, this causes the disappearance of the typical advantage for responses that spatially correspond to the stimulus, or even results in an advantage for spatially noncorresponding responses. The present study aimed at investigating whether the transferred rule is independent of the specific stimulus and response dimensions for which it has been created. Previous studies suggest that when a Simon task is coupled with a colour incompatible task, the Simon effect may disappear or reverse even when stimuli in the two tasks, apart from being both visual and appearing on the same computer screen, have no other features in common. Results of the present study corroborate the hypothesis that feature overlap between stimuli is not necessary for the between-task transfer of the logical rule. However, an overlap between the representations of responses appears to be crucial. No modulation of the Simon effect was observed when the Simon task required bimanual responses while the colour-compatibility task required either vocal responses or responses executed with the two feet. In contrast, we did observe such a modulation when the discriminative response dimension and the effectors/response device were the same in the two tasks, even though these two tasks provided for different stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Treccani
- Dipartimento di Storia, Scienze dell'Uomo e della Formazione, Università di Sassari, Via Maurizio Zanfarino, 62, 07100, Sassari, Italy.
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Treccani B, Cubelli R, Della Sala S, Umilta C. Flanker and Simon effects interact at the response selection stage. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2015; 62:1784-804. [PMID: 19180364 DOI: 10.1080/17470210802557751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The present study aimed at investigating the processing stage underlying stimulus-stimulus (S-S) congruency effects by examining the relation of a particular type of congruency effect (i.e., the flanker effect) with a stimulus-response (S-R) spatial correspondence effect (i.e., the Simon effect). Experiment 1 used a unilateral flanker task in which the flanker also acted as a Simon-like accessory stimulus. Results showed a significant S-S Congruency x S-R Correspondence interaction: An advantage for flanker-response spatially corresponding trials was observed in target-flanker congruent conditions, whereas, in incongruent conditions, there was a noncorresponding trials' advantage. The analysis of the temporal trend of the correspondence effects ruled out a temporal-overlap account for the observed interaction. Moreover, results of Experiment 2, in which the flanker did not belong to the target set, demonstrated that this interaction cannot be attributed to perceptual grouping of the target-flanker pairs and referential coding of the target with respect to the flanker in the congruent and incongruent conditions, respectively. Taken together, these findings are consistent with a response selection account of congruency effects: Both the position and the task-related attribute of the flanker would activate the associated responses. In noncorresponding-congruent trials and corresponding-incongruent trials, this would cause a conflict at the response selection stage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Treccani
- Dipartimento di Psicologia Generale, Universita di Padova, Padova, Italy
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Schankin A, Hagemann D, Wascher E. Simon effects in change detection and change blindness. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2014; 79:1022-33. [PMID: 25408533 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-014-0628-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2014] [Accepted: 11/10/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Responses to centrally presented target stimuli are faster when they are accompanied by a task-irrelevant lateral accessory stimulus that corresponds spatially with the response hand (accessory variant of the Simon effect). In four experiments, we tested whether this effect depends on the awareness of the accessory stimulus. In a change blindness task, participants were asked to respond to a central letter that was accompanied by a lateral background change on some trials. Change blindness describes the phenomenon that even large changes may remain unnoticed when they occur simultaneously with another visual disruption, e.g., a blank screen. In a series of four experiments, a significant Simon effect was observed both when the accessory stimulus reached awareness and when it remained unnoticed. These results indicate that, based on the spatial location of an accessory stimulus, a spatial code is generated. This code interferes with the response code on the response-selection stage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Schankin
- Institute of Psychology, University of Heidelberg, Hauptstrasse 47-51, 69117, Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Dirk Hagemann
- Institute of Psychology, University of Heidelberg, Hauptstrasse 47-51, 69117, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Edmund Wascher
- Leibniz Research Center for Working Environment and Human Factors, Ardeystraße 67, 44139 Dortmund, Germany
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Luo C, Lupiáñez J, Funes MJ, Fu X. Reduction of the spatial stroop effect by peripheral cueing as a function of the presence/absence of placeholders. PLoS One 2013; 8:e69456. [PMID: 23894485 PMCID: PMC3722176 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0069456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2012] [Accepted: 06/10/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In a paradigm combining spatial Stroop with spatial cueing, the current study investigated the role of the presence vs. absence of placeholders on the reduction of the spatial Stroop effect by peripheral cueing. At a short cue-target interval, the modulation of peripheral cueing over the spatial Stroop effect was observed independently of the presence/absence of placeholders. At the long cue-target interval, however, this modulation over the spatial Stroop effect only occurred in the placeholders-present condition. These findings show that placeholders are modulators but not mediators of the reduction of the spatial Stroop effect by peripheral cueing, which further favor the cue-target integration account.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunming Luo
- Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
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Luo C, Proctor RW. Asymmetry of congruency effects in spatial Stroop tasks can be eliminated. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2013; 143:7-13. [PMID: 23500109 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2013.01.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2012] [Revised: 01/22/2013] [Accepted: 01/29/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Three experiments examined whether asymmetry in interference can be eliminated in spatial Stroop tasks. In Experiment 1, responding to arrows or location words written in Chinese and to their locations created spatial Stroop effects of similar sizes. In Experiment 2, responding to a location word embedded in an outline drawing of arrow did not yield a spatial Stroop effect, but responding to the arrow's direction did yield an effect. In Experiment 3, responding to a location word flanked by an arrow and to the arrow rather than the word produced similar sizes of spatial Stroop effects. These results show that asymmetry in spatial Stroop interference can be eliminated in some situations. Although aspects of the results are consistent with predictions of translation and dimensional overlap models, they are in closest agreement overall with an account in terms of the relative strengths of the relevant and irrelevant stimulus-response associations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunming Luo
- Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China.
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Van der Lubbe RH, Abrahamse EL, De Kleine E. The premotor theory of attention as an account for the Simon effect. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2012; 140:25-34. [PMID: 22426428 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2012.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2011] [Revised: 01/26/2012] [Accepted: 01/31/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The Simon effect refers to the phenomenon that responses are faster when the irrelevant location of a stimulus corresponds with the response location than when these locations do not correspond. In the current paper we examined the viability of an updated version of the premotor theory of attention (PMTA) as an account for the Simon effect. Two predictions were evaluated. First, in the case of focused attention at the relevant target position a strong reduction of the Simon effect should be observed as the Simon effect according to PMTA crucially depends on attentional orienting. Secondly, if attention is directed towards a location then this orienting by itself should already be sufficient for producing a Simon effect, as stimulus presence is not required. Our data confirmed these predictions thereby supporting the relevance of the PMTA for the Simon effect.
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Luo C, Lupiáñez J, Funes MJ, Fu X. The modulation of spatial congruency by object-based attention: analysing the "locus" of the modulation. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2011; 64:2455-69. [PMID: 21923623 DOI: 10.1080/17470218.2011.591935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Earlier studies have demonstrated that spatial cueing differentially reduces stimulus-stimulus congruency (e.g., spatial Stroop) interference but not stimulus-response congruency (e.g., Simon; e.g., Lupiáñez & Funes, 2005). This spatial cueing modulation over spatial Stroop seems to be entirely attributable to object-based attention (e.g., Luo, Lupiáñez, Funes, & Fu, 2010). In the present study, two experiments were conducted to further explore whether the cueing modulation of spatial Stroop is object based and/or space based and to analyse the "locus" of this modulation. In Experiment 1, we found that the cueing modulation over spatial Stroop is entirely object based, independent of stimulus-response congruency. In Experiment 2, we observed that the modulation of object-based attention over the spatial Stroop only occurred at a short cue-target interval (i.e., stimulus onset asynchrony; SOA), whereas the stimulus-response congruency effect was not modulated either by object-based or by location-based attentional cueing. The overall pattern of results suggests that the spatial cueing modulation over spatial Stroop arises from object-based attention and occurs at the perceptual stage of processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunming Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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Dolk T, Hommel B, Colzato LS, Schütz-Bosbach S, Prinz W, Liepelt R. How "social" is the social Simon effect? Front Psychol 2011; 2:84. [PMID: 21687453 PMCID: PMC3110342 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2011.00084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2010] [Accepted: 04/21/2011] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In the standard Simon task, participants carry out spatially defined responses to non-spatial stimulus attributes. Responses are typically faster when stimulus location and response location correspond. This effect disappears when a participant responds to only one of the two stimuli and reappears when another person carries out the other response. This social Simon effect (SSE) has been considered as providing an index for action co-representation. Here, we investigated whether joint-action effects in a social Simon task involve mechanisms of action co-representation, as measured by the amount of incorporation of another person's action. We combined an auditory social Simon task with a manipulation of the sense of ownership of another person's hand (rubber hand illusion). If the SSE is established by action co-representation, then the incorporation of the other person's hand into one's own body representation should increase the SSE (synchronous > asynchronous stroking). However, we found the SSE to be smaller in the synchronous as compared to the asynchronous stroking condition (Experiment 1), suggesting that the SSE reflects the separation of spatial action events rather than the integration of the other person's action. This effect is independent of the active involvement (Experiment 2) and the presence of another person (Experiment 3). These findings suggest that the “social” Simon effect is not really social in nature but is established when an interaction partner produces events that serve as a spatial reference for one's own actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Dolk
- Department of Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences Leipzig, Germany
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Wühr P. Working-memory load decreases mappings effects in spatial-compatibility tasks. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2010; 75:393-405. [PMID: 21184095 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-010-0317-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2010] [Accepted: 12/04/2010] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
The paper investigates the role of working memory for the translation of spatial stimuli into spatial responses. Performance is typically superior with compatible mapping between stimulus and response locations than with incompatible mapping (spatial-mapping effect). According to popular dual-route models, the spatial-mapping effect may arise from differences in the effectiveness of S-R translation, and/or from the effects of automatic response activation. Working-memory load should not affect the automatic route, but delay S-R translation in the incompatible condition, increasing the mapping effect under load. These predictions were tested in two dual-task experiments. Participants performed a spatial-compatibility task with compatible or incompatible S-R mapping, while memorizing different amounts of spatial (Experiment 1) or verbal (Experiment 2) information. In both experiments, working-memory load decreased the mapping effect, but did not eliminate it. Results are at odds with the dual-route account. An alternative explanation based on the response-discrimination account (Ansorge and Wühr in J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform 30:365-377, 2004) is proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Wühr
- Institut für Psychologie, Technische Universität Dortmund, Emil-Figge-Strasse 50, 44227, Dortmund, Germany.
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Maetens K, Henderickx D, Soetens E. Binding of Event Files in a (go/no-go) Simon Task With an Accessory Peripheral Signal. Exp Psychol 2009; 56:100-11. [DOI: 10.1027/1618-3169.56.2.100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
To understand the relation between the Simon effect and the time course of relevant and irrelevant code activations, we presented the response signal before or simultaneously with a go/no-go signal in an accessory Simon task. A peripheral accessory signal could appear before, simultaneously with or after the go/no-go signal. We observed a Simon effect when the accessory signal was presented just before or simultaneously with the go signal, irrespective of the delay between response and go/no-go signal. The Simon effect reversed when the accessory signal was presented 150 ms after the go signal when response information was presented first and the participants had to make a go/no-go decision afterwards or when they had to select a response when the go signal appeared. The reversal did not occur when both decisions were required at the same time. Our data suggest that the integration and release of event files are involved in the occurrence of the reversal. Response activation induced by the accessory stimulus facilitates/interferes with the response when it is presented before the event file is integrated. When the accessory stimulus is presented after integration, the automatically activated response is inhibited, causing a delay in the corresponding reaction times.
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Disentangling neural processing of masked and masking stimulus by means of event-related contralateral - ipsilateral differences of EEG potentials. Adv Cogn Psychol 2008; 3:193-210. [PMID: 20517509 PMCID: PMC2864968 DOI: 10.2478/v10053-008-0025-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2006] [Accepted: 11/01/2006] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In spite of the excellent temporal resolution of event-related EEG potentials (ERPs), the overlapping potentials evoked by masked and masking stimuli are hard to disentangle. However, when both masked and masking stimuli consist of pairs of relevant and irrelevant stimuli, one left and one right from fixation, with the side of the relevant element varying between pairs, effects of masked and masking stimuli can be distinguished by means of the contralateral preponderance of the potentials evoked by the relevant elements, because the relevant elements may independently change sides in masked and masking stimuli. Based on a reanalysis of data from which only selected contralateral-ipsilateral effects had been previously published, the present contribution will provide a more complete picture of the ERP effects in a masked-priming task. Indeed, effects evoked by masked primes and masking targets heavily overlapped in conventional ERPs and could be disentangled to a certain degree by contralateral-ipsilateral differences. Their major component, the N2pc, is interpreted as indicating preferential processing of stimuli matching the target template, which process can neither be identified with conscious perception nor with shifts of spatial attention. The measurements showed that the triggering of response preparation by the masked stimuli did not depend on their discriminability, and their priming effects on the processing of the following target stimuli were qualitatively different for stimulus identification and for response preparation. These results provide another piece of evidence for the independence of motor-related and perception-related effects of masked stimuli.
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Valle-Inclán F, Sohn F, Redondo M. Spatial compatibility between stimulated eye and response location. Psychophysiology 2008; 45:279-85. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8986.2007.00616.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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