Simon and Garner effects with color and location: Evidence for two independent routes by which irrelevant location influences performance

Abstract

Classic theories of attention assume that the processing of a target's featural dimension (e.g., color) is contingent on the processing of its spatial location. The present study challenges this maxim. Three experiments evaluated the dimensional independence of spatial location and color using a combined Simon (Simon & Rudell Journal of Applied Psychology: 51, 300-304, 1967) and Garner (Garner, 1974) design. The results showed that when the stimulus's spatial location was rendered more discriminable than its color (Experiment 1 and 2), both Simon and Garner effects were obtained, and location interfered with color judgments to a larger extent than color intruded on location. However, when baseline discriminabilities of location and color were matched (Experiment 3), no Garner interference was obtained from location to color, yet Simon effects still emerged, proving resilient to manipulations of discriminability. Further correlational and distributional analyses showed that Garner and Simon effects have dissociable effects. A triple-route model is proposed to account for the results, according to which irrelevant location can influence performance via two independent location routes/codes.

From Global-to-Local? Uncovering the Temporal Dynamics of the Composite Face Illusion Using Distributional Analyses

“…The current study offers what may be considered as the first fine-grained analysis of the RT distributions in the composite face illusion (Young et al, 1987). The distributional analyses included the CDF, CAFs, and delta plots for RTs and for error rates (Ridderinkhof, 2002a, b; Fitousi, 2015, 2016b). The work has been guided by two contrasting models of face perception, the global-to-local hypothesis (Navon, 1977; Sergent, 1986; Hole, 1994; Schyns and Oliva, 1994; Sugase et al, 1999; Meinhardt-Injac et al, 2010, 2011) and the local-to-global hypothesis (Tversky and Krantz, 1969; Diamond and Carey, 1986; Bartlett and Searcy, 1993; Rakover and Teucher, 1997; Macho and Leder, 1998; Rakover, 1998).…”

“…The slope of the delta plot can provide important information. For example, it has been found that delta plots for the Stroop effect (Stroop, 1935) have a positive slope, whereas delta plots for the Simon effect (Simon and Rudell, 1967) have a negative slope (but see Zhang and Kornblum, 1997; Fitousi, 2016b), leading researchers (Pratte et al, 2010) to argue that albeit their similarity, the two phenomena are generated by different processes. The reason is that the same cognitive architecture cannot produce both negative and positive (or zero) slope (Schwarz and Miller, 2012).…”

Menu positions influence soft drink selection at touchscreen kiosks

“…Pre‐intervention, Coca‐Cola was McDonald's best seller and was placed in the first location. Our theory has two components: (a) as the first location would be expected to hold the most popular drink item, Coca‐Cola, a significant portion of consumers would initially look at the first item (Fitousi, ; Simon, ), and (b) many who found the first item they looked at satisficing would choose it without considering additional items (Schwartz et al, ; Simon, ). Put another way, our theory is that if consumers’ act as satisficers (rather than as maximizers) when choosing soft drinks and find Coke Zero to be a satisfactory option, then presenting Coke Zero in the first place they are likely to look will cause many to choose this more healthful option (or at least consider options other than Coca‐Cola).…”

Can we perceive two colors at the same time? A direct test of Huang and Pashler’s (2007) Boolean map theory of visual attention

“…Probing intradimensional (feature-based) attention with logical rule models A fundamental distinction in cognitive psychology separates the visual world into two types of dimensions: integral and separable (Fitousi, 2015(Fitousi, , 2016Garner, 1974;Garner & Felfoldy, 1970; for review, see . Integral dimensions (e.g., hue and brightness) are processed as a single unitary whole, cannot be attended selectively, and interfere with each other in Garner's speeded classification task (Garner, 1974).…”

“…Attention is a fundamental ability that allows us to select small bits of information from the vast sensory input impinging on our senses according to predefined rules or templates (Desimone & Duncan, 1995;Fitousi, 2015Fitousi, , 2016Fitousi, , 2018Fitousi & Wenger, 2011;Olivers, Peters, Houtkamp, & Roelfsema, 2011). An important question in the study of attention concerns the mechanisms by which observers select colored targets (Treisman & Gelade, 1980;Wolfe, 1994).…”