Transfer of incompatible spatial mapping to the vertical Simon task generalizes across effectors but not stimulus...

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Experimental Psychology

Background:

• The Simon effect, a benefit for stimulus-response correspondence, is typically observed in the vertical Simon task.
• Previous research on whether incompatible practice reduces the vertical Simon effect has yielded inconsistent results.
• Potential factors like response panel orientation have been investigated and ruled out.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role of finger/hand placement and relevant stimulus dimension in the reduction of the vertical Simon effect after incompatible practice.
• To reconcile discrepancies in prior studies regarding the transfer of learning in the vertical Simon task.

Main Methods:

• Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the influence of incompatible practice on the vertical Simon effect.
• Experiment 1 used a circle-square discrimination task with a numeric keypad, varying finger/hand placement.
• Experiment 2 compared a circle-square discrimination with a red-green color discrimination task.

Main Results:

• Incompatible practice reduced the vertical Simon effect for the circle-square discrimination, irrespective of finger/hand placement.
• No reduction in the vertical Simon effect was observed for the red-green color discrimination task.
• The relevant stimulus dimension (shape vs. color) critically influenced the transfer of learning.

Conclusions:

• The discrepancy in previous findings regarding the vertical Simon effect is attributable to the nature of the relevant stimulus dimension.
• Shape discrimination allows for the reduction of the Simon effect through incompatible practice, while color discrimination does not.
• These findings advance our understanding of spatial attention and response selection mechanisms.