Correlations between spatial compatibility effects: are arrows more like locations or words?

Abstract

Responses are more efficient when their spatial mappings with features of targets are compatible compared to when they are incompatible, even when those features are irrelevant to task performance. Currently, a debate exists as to whether spatial information conveyed by different stimulus modes leads to qualitatively different spatial representations. We investigated the relations between three of the most commonly used spatial stimulus modes-arrows, locations, and location words-using correlations of compatibility effects between each of these modes as well as compatibility effects at different segments of their response time distributions. Our results show that when spatial information is irrelevant to task performance (the Simon task), the compatibility effects elicited by arrows and words are more strongly related with each other than with those of locations. However, when spatial information is task relevant (the stimulus-response compatibility SRC task), the compatibility effects elicited by arrows and locations are more related, and both are less related to the effect elicited by words. We suggest that these changing relations between stimulus modes are strategically determined based on which spatial coding technique for arrows is most advantageous to task performance. Furthermore, the varying relations between these spatial compatibility effects indicate that the compatibility effect with one stimulus mode is not always predictive of the compatibility effect in another mode.

The Simon effect of spatial words in eye movements: Comparison of vertical and horizontal effects and of eye and finger responses

“…Also, Wiegand and Wascher (2005) explained the quickly fading horizontal Simon effect with the automatic translation of horizontal stimulus code into corresponding motor activation via the dorsal stream of the cortical visual system, and they explained the vertical Simon effect's increase over time with the more time-consuming cognitive translation of the vertical stimulus location code into a corresponding vertical response activation code within the ventral stream of the cortical visual system. In addition, recent studies that investigated the time course of Simon effects based on irrelevant word meaning consistently showed an increasing Simon effects over time, even if horizontal word meaning and left-right manual responses were used (Miles & Proctor, 2009, 2012Pellicano et al, 2009;Proctor et al, 2009;Vu & Proctor, 2011). On the basis of these findings, our expectations about different time-dependent developments of Simon effects for vertical vs. horizontal saccades might appear unjustified.…”

The location-, word-, and arrow-based Simon effects: An ex-Gaussian analysis

“…Most findings are that the location-based Simon effect is largest for fast responses but decreases, and even may reverse, as responses slow when the imperative stimulus is displayed in a left or right location (Ansorge & Wühr, 2004;Ellinghaus, Karlbauer, Bausenhart, & Ulrich, 2017;Pratte, Rouder, Morey, & Feng, 2010;Servant, Montagnini, & Burle, 2014;Ulrich et al, 2015). In contrast, the word-and arrow-based Simon effects increase as RTs increase (Miles & Proctor, 2012;Pellicano et al, 2009;Proctor et al, 2009).…”

“…Some findings suggest that different location modes affect responses with modespecific mechanisms, as the Simon effects based on them seem to have different temporal dynamics. For example, the location-based Simon effect decreases as RTs increase across the RT distribution for a left-or right-displayed imperative stimulus, whereas the word-and arrow-based Simon effects increase as RTs increase (Miles & Proctor, 2012;Pellicano et al, 2009;Proctor et al, 2009). Wascher and colleagues (Wascher, Schatz, Kuder, & Verleger, 2001;Wiegand & Wascher, 2005 suggested that increasing and decreasing delta plots of Simon effects obtained in various tasks are the result of two distinct mechanisms.…”

“…In Experiments 2 and 3 we examined separately the wordand arrow-based Simon effects on ex-Gaussian parameters. Given that the word-and arrow-based Simon effects increase as RTs increase (Miles & Proctor, 2012;Pellicano et al, 2009;Proctor et al, 2009), they may arise from a shift of the RT distribution and from the tail of the RT distribution in the incompatible condition, compared to that in the compatible condition. Thus, we predicted that these Simon effects would occur on μ and τ.…”

Mental chronometry and individual differences: Modeling reliabilities and correlations of reaction time means and effect sizes

“…As an example, consider the study of Miles and Proctor (2012), who examined correlations of Simon compatibility effects obtained with three different types of stimulus materials (i.e., locations, arrows, and words). They found a significant correlation between the compatibility effects obtained with arrows and words, but no correlation between either of these effects and the compatibility effect obtained with location stimuli.…”