Perceptual and motor contributions to the negative compatibility effect

Area of Science:

• Cognitive psychology
• Human motor control
• Perceptual learning

Background:

• The negative compatibility effect (NCE) is a cognitive phenomenon impacting performance.
• Understanding NCE origins involves examining perceptual and motor processes.
• Stimulus-reaction (S-R) link strength is a key factor in cognitive control.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the contributions of perceptual object-updating and motor self-inhibition to the NCE.
• To determine how S-R link strength moderates these contributions.
• To differentiate the roles of object-updating and self-inhibition under varying S-R link strengths.

Main Methods:

• Two experiments utilized novel stimuli with manipulated mask relevance and prime/target compatibility.
• Participants engaged in tasks over three consecutive days to strengthen S-R links.
• Masking effectiveness was controlled to isolate the effects of mask relevance.

Main Results:

• A significant NCE was observed only with relevant masks when S-R links were weak.
• With practice-strengthened S-R links, comparable NCE sizes emerged in both relevant and irrelevant mask conditions.
• Perceptual and motor contributions to NCE are moderated by S-R link strength.

Conclusions:

• When S-R links are weak, NCE primarily stems from perceptual object-updating.
• With strengthened S-R links, NCE involves both object-updating and self-inhibition.
• Motor self-inhibition becomes the dominant contributor to NCE once S-R links exceed an inhibitory threshold through practice.