TY - JOUR
T1 - Time course of the Simon effect in pointing movements for horizontal, vertical, and acoustic stimuli
T2 - Evidence for a common mechanism
AU - Buetti, Simona
AU - Kerzel, Dirk
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors were supported by the Swiss National Foundation (SNF 10011-107768/1 and PDFM1-114417). We wish to thank Edmund Wascher and an anonymous reviewer for insightful comments on an earlier version of the manuscript.
PY - 2008/11
Y1 - 2008/11
N2 - In the Simon effect, responses to a non-spatial attribute are faster when the irrelevant spatial position of the stimulus corresponds to the position of the response. It was suggested that there are two distinct mechanisms involved in the Simon effect. In the visuomotor Simon effect, the stimulus transiently activates the corresponding response which results in a decaying Simon effect function (i.e., the Simon effect decreases in slower reaction time [RT]-bins). In contrast, the cognitive Simon effect arises from a conflict between stimulus and response codes and is associated with a stable Simon effect function (i.e., the Simon effect is the same in fast and slow RT-bins). We recorded RTs and motor parameters of pointing movements in a Simon paradigm. Consistent with the previous research, the time course of the Simon effect in RTs was stable with vertical visual and horizontal acoustic stimuli (cognitive Simon tasks), but decreased with horizontal visual stimuli (visuomotor Simon task). In contrast, the Simon effect in motor parameters decreased across RT-bins in all conditions, supporting the idea that only a single, common mechanism underlies the Simon effect.
AB - In the Simon effect, responses to a non-spatial attribute are faster when the irrelevant spatial position of the stimulus corresponds to the position of the response. It was suggested that there are two distinct mechanisms involved in the Simon effect. In the visuomotor Simon effect, the stimulus transiently activates the corresponding response which results in a decaying Simon effect function (i.e., the Simon effect decreases in slower reaction time [RT]-bins). In contrast, the cognitive Simon effect arises from a conflict between stimulus and response codes and is associated with a stable Simon effect function (i.e., the Simon effect is the same in fast and slow RT-bins). We recorded RTs and motor parameters of pointing movements in a Simon paradigm. Consistent with the previous research, the time course of the Simon effect in RTs was stable with vertical visual and horizontal acoustic stimuli (cognitive Simon tasks), but decreased with horizontal visual stimuli (visuomotor Simon task). In contrast, the Simon effect in motor parameters decreased across RT-bins in all conditions, supporting the idea that only a single, common mechanism underlies the Simon effect.
KW - Distractor interference
KW - Pointing movements
KW - Simon effect
KW - Stimulus-response compatibility
KW - Trajectory deviation
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U2 - 10.1016/j.actpsy.2008.09.007
DO - 10.1016/j.actpsy.2008.09.007
M3 - Article
C2 - 18930170
AN - SCOPUS:54049136779
SN - 0001-6918
VL - 129
SP - 420
EP - 428
JO - Acta Psychologica
JF - Acta Psychologica
IS - 3
ER -