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The Crossmodal Congruency Task as a Means to Obtain an Objective Behavioral Measure in the Rubber Hand Illusion Paradigm
Published on: July 26, 2013
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Handedness and effector strength modulate a compatibility effect between stimulus size and response position with
Peter Wühr1, Melanie Richter1, Christian Seegelke2
1Department of Psychology, TU Dortmund University.
Journal of Experimental Psychology. Human Perception and Performance
|February 29, 2024
Summary
Hand strength differences influence how quickly people respond to stimuli size. This spatial-size association of response codes (SSARC) effect is linked to effector strength, appearing in both manual and vocal responses.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Motor Control
- Human Factors
Background:
- The spatial-size association of response codes (SSARC) effect describes faster left-hand responses to small stimuli and right-hand responses to large stimuli.
- Previous research has not fully elucidated the underlying mechanisms of the SSARC effect, particularly the role of effector strength.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the hypothesis that differences in hand strength contribute to the origin of the SSARC effect.
- To examine whether the SSARC effect is modality-specific or generalized across motor systems.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments were conducted with 160 participants (80 left-handers, 80 right-handers).
- Experiment 1 involved a manual choice-response task manipulating stimulus size-response hand mapping and measuring effector strengths.
- Experiment 2 assessed the SSARC effect using vocal responses.
Main Results:
- Dominant effectors were stronger than non-dominant ones.
- The SSARC effect was observed in both manual and vocal responses, with similar magnitudes.
- The SSARC effect was larger in right-handers than left-handers, and effector strength differences correlated with the SSARC effect size.
Conclusions:
- Functional differences between hands, specifically strength disparities, contribute to the SSARC effect.
- The findings suggest that size-space associations are generalized and modality-independent, extending across different motor systems.
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