Representing response position relative to display location: influence on orthogonal stimulus-response compatibility

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Human Factors
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Stimulus-response compatibility (SRC) effects are crucial in human-computer interaction and cognitive psychology.
• Two types of orthogonal SRC effects exist: an overall advantage and position-dependent mapping preferences.
• Disagreement persists on whether position-dependent effects involve motor system properties or coding asymmetries.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the underlying mechanisms of orthogonal stimulus-response compatibility (SRC) effects.
• To determine if position-dependent SRC effects are explained by asymmetric coding or motor system characteristics.
• To clarify the role of stimulus-set location and response position in orthogonal SRC.

Main Methods:

• Three experiments were conducted to examine orthogonal SRC.
• Stimulus-set location and response position were systematically varied.
• Stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) was manipulated to assess temporal dynamics.

Main Results:

• Orthogonal SRC was influenced by stimulus-set location when it shared a dimension with responses.
• The stimulus set acted as a referent for coding response positions.
• The orthogonal SRC effect was independent of SOA for stimulus-set markers but decreased with SOA for spatial correspondence effects.
• Experiment 3 confirmed that response position relative to the stimulus set, not the body midline, determined the SRC effect.

Conclusions:

• Both overall and position-dependent orthogonal SRC effects are attributable to asymmetric coding of stimuli and responses.
• The findings support a unified explanation for orthogonal SRC, emphasizing coding rather than distinct motor system mechanisms.
• This research advances the understanding of spatial coding and response selection in cognitive tasks.