Auditory Cues and Feedback in the Serial Reaction Time Task: Evidence for Sequence Acquisition and Sensory Transfer

The present experiment used the Serial Reaction Time Task(SRTT) to investigate if auditory cueing or feedback in the form of spatially compatible tones benefited sequence learning similarly. Fifty-three neurotypical adults (18-35 years; 32 cis-females; 21 cis-males) were randomly assigned to three groups in which they practiced a visual SRTT: Group AC was supplemented with auditory cues; group AF received auditory feedback; group NS performed without sound. Retention and transfer tests (i.e., in the other two sensory conditions), and an explicit awareness test were conducted 48 h after practice. Changes in Total Sequence Time (TST), Total Error (TE), and acquired knowledge of the 10-item sequence order quantified sequence learning and were assessed using a two-way mixed ANOVA with repeated measures (p ≤ 0.05). A significant group-by-time interaction indicated only the AC group maintained their performance improvements when the sequence was perturbed. Overall, improvements in TST on day 1 and day 2 were consistent with all groups acquiring task-general and sequence-specific knowledge. TE outcomes suggested no speed-accuracy tradeoff. On Day 2, all groups performed best in the no-sound condition, indicating performance was maintained when sound cues or feedback were removed. All groups acquired equivalent implicit motor sequence knowledge regardless of sound condition.