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Related Experiment Videos

Distractor interference in selective reaching: dissociating distance and grouping effects.

Ron F Keulen1, Jos J Adam, Martin H Fischer

  • 1Department of Movement Sciences, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands. ron.keulen@bw.unimass.nl

Journal of Motor Behavior
|April 25, 2003
PubMed
Summary

The distance between a target and distractor influences selective reaching interference. Greater distances create asymmetric interference, supporting a distance-based explanation over grouping.

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Motor Control
  • Human Factors

Background:

  • Distractor interference in selective reaching can be explained by either distance or grouping mechanisms.
  • Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for optimizing human-computer interaction and task design.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To differentiate between distance and grouping explanations for distractor interference patterns in selective reaching.
  • To investigate how target-distractor spatial separation affects interference.

Main Methods:

  • Sixteen participants performed a selective reaching task to a green target with or without a red distractor.
  • Target-distractor separation was manipulated (5 mm vs. 20 mm) within a stimulus array.
  • Interference was measured via reaction time, movement time, error rates, and movement endpoints.

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Main Results:

  • Small target-distractor distances (5 mm) resulted in symmetric interference patterns.
  • Large target-distractor distances (20 mm) produced asymmetric interference, with greater impact from near distractors.
  • These findings indicate that distractor interference is distance-dependent.

Conclusions:

  • The results support the distance account of distractor interference in selective reaching.
  • The findings refute the grouping account as the primary explanation for observed interference patterns.