Response readiness modulates the development of association-based automaticity in masked priming

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Motor Control

Background:

• Automatization of stimulus-response (S-R) associations is crucial for efficient motor responses.
• Response readiness, influenced by task demands, may modulate the development of automaticity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how automatized S-R associations and response readiness trigger motor activation for masked primes.
• To examine the interplay between stimulus type, response readiness, and the emergence of compatibility effects.

Main Methods:

• Two experiments using a modified Go/No-Go task with varying response readiness.
• Manipulation of stimulus types (arrows, parallel lines) and compatibility (compatible, incompatible).
• Assessment across multiple test sessions to track learning and automatization.

Main Results:

• Negative compatibility effects (NCEs) were consistently observed with arrow stimuli, indicating automatized S-R associations.
• Parallel-line stimuli showed no significant compatibility effect (CE) initially, but developed an NCE in Experiment 1 (high readiness) by Session 3.
• Response readiness modulated the development of automaticity, particularly in early stages of learning.

Conclusions:

• Motor activation necessitates automatized S-R associations, confirming previous claims.
• Response readiness can modulate the formation of automaticity, but its impact diminishes once associations are well-established.
• Findings support the role of top-down control, like response readiness, in shaping association-based automaticity.