Binding of Event Files in a (go/no-go) Simon Task With an Accessory Peripheral Signal

2009 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 100-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen Maetens ◽  
David Henderickx ◽  
Eric Soetens
Keyword(s):  
Simon Effect ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Simon Task ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Response Signal ◽  
Event File ◽  
Response Information ◽  
Event Files ◽  
Accessory Stimulus ◽  
Accessory Signal

To understand the relation between the Simon effect and the time course of relevant and irrelevant code activations, we presented the response signal before or simultaneously with a go/no-go signal in an accessory Simon task. A peripheral accessory signal could appear before, simultaneously with or after the go/no-go signal. We observed a Simon effect when the accessory signal was presented just before or simultaneously with the go signal, irrespective of the delay between response and go/no-go signal. The Simon effect reversed when the accessory signal was presented 150 ms after the go signal when response information was presented first and the participants had to make a go/no-go decision afterwards or when they had to select a response when the go signal appeared. The reversal did not occur when both decisions were required at the same time. Our data suggest that the integration and release of event files are involved in the occurrence of the reversal. Response activation induced by the accessory stimulus facilitates/interferes with the response when it is presented before the event file is integrated. When the accessory stimulus is presented after integration, the automatically activated response is inhibited, causing a delay in the corresponding reaction times.

scholarly journals Expectancy Induces Dynamic Modulation of Corticospinal Excitability

2007 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 121-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gijs van Elswijk ◽  
Bert U. Kleine ◽  
Sebastiaan Overeem ◽  
Dick F. Stegeman
Keyword(s):  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Motor Preparation ◽  
Corticospinal Excitability ◽  
Response Signal ◽  
Paired Pulse ◽  
Behavioral Studies ◽  
Neurophysiological Data

Behavioral studies using motor preparation paradigms have revealed that increased expectancy of a response signal shortens reaction times (RTs). Neurophysiological data suggest that in such paradigms, not only RT but also neuronal activity in the motor structures involved is modulated by expectancy of behaviorally relevant events. Here, we directly tested whether expectancy of a response signal modulates excitability of the corticospinal system used in the subsequent movement. We combined single- and paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over the primary motor cortex with a simple RT task with variable preparatory delays. We found that, in line with typical behavioral observations, the subjects' RTs decreased with increasing response signal expectancy. TMS results revealed a modulation of corticospinal excitability in correspondence with response signal expectancy. Besides an increased excitability over the time-course of the preparatory delay, corticospinal excitability transiently increased whenever a response signal was expected. Paired-pulse TMS showed that this modulation is unlikely to be mediated by excitability changes in interneuronal inhibitory or facilitatory networks in the primary motor cortex. Changes in corticospinal synchronization or other mechanisms involving spinal circuits are candidates mediating the modulation of corticospinal excitability by expectancy.

scholarly journals Watching the brain as it binds: Beta synchronization relates to distractor-response binding

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernhard Pastötter ◽  
Birte Moeller ◽  
Christian Frings
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Times ◽  
Human Action ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Correlation Effect ◽  
Stimulus Onset ◽  
Event File ◽  
Stimulus Interval ◽  
Stimulus Response ◽  
Event Files ◽  
Middle Occipital Gyrus

Human action control relies on event files, i.e., short-term stimulus-response bindings that result from the integration of perception and action. The present electroencephalography (EEG) study examined oscillatory brain activities related to the integration and disintegration of event files in the distractor-response binding (DRB) task, which relies on a sequential prime-probe structure with orthogonal variation of distractor and response relations between prime and probe. Behavioral results indicated a DRB effect in reaction times (RT), which was moderated by the duration of the response-stimulus interval (RSI) between prime response and probe stimulus onset. Indeed, a DRB effect was observed for a short RSI of 500 ms but not for a longer RSI of 2000 ms, indicating disintegration of event files over time. EEG results revealed a positive correlation between individual DRB in the RSI-2000 condition and post-movement beta synchronization after both prime and probe responses. Beamformer analysis localized this correlation effect to the middle occipital gyrus, which also showed highest coherency with precentral and inferior parietal brain regions. Together, these findings suggest that post-movement beta synchronization is a marker of event-file disintegration, with the left middle occipital gyrus being a hub region for stimulus-response bindings in the present visual DRB task.

The Role of Visual Distractors in the Simon Effect

2017 ◽  
Vol 64 (6) ◽  
pp. 387-397 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luisa Lugli ◽  
Stefania D’Ascenzo ◽  
Roberto Nicoletti ◽  
Carlo Umiltà
Keyword(s):  
Simon Effect ◽  
Simon Task ◽  
Automatic Generation ◽  
Spatial Code ◽  
Attentional Model ◽  
Previous Evidence ◽  
Spatial Stimulus ◽  
Attentional Resources ◽  
Code Changes

Abstract. The Simon effect lies on the automatic generation of a stimulus spatial code, which, however, is not relevant for performing the task. Results typically show faster performance when stimulus and response locations correspond, rather than when they do not. Considering reaction time distributions, two types of Simon effect have been individuated, which are thought to depend on different mechanisms: visuomotor activation versus cognitive translation of spatial codes. The present study aimed to investigate whether the presence of a distractor, which affects the allocation of attentional resources and, thus, the time needed to generate the spatial code, changes the nature of the Simon effect. In four experiments, we manipulated the presence and the characteristics of the distractor. Findings extend previous evidence regarding the distinction between visuomotor activation and cognitive translation of spatial stimulus codes in a Simon task. They are discussed with reference to the attentional model of the Simon effect.

Repetition Effects and Signal Classification Strategies in Serial Choice-Response Tasks

1968 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 232-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick M. A. Rabbitt
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Times ◽  
Repetition Effect ◽  
Signal Classification ◽  
Choice Response ◽  
Information Load ◽  
Stimulus Information ◽  
Repetition Effects ◽  
Response Information

Repetition-effects (Bertelson, 1965) were examined in three serial self-paced choice-response tasks in which each response was made to all members of a class of more than one signal, and in one task in which eight different responses were each made to one of eight different signals. Three kinds of transition between successive responses occur in such tasks: transitions between Identical responses where the same signal and response are immediately repeated, transitions between Equivalent responses where the same response is made to a new signal and transitions between New responses where neither signal nor response are repeated. The relative reaction-times for these three classes of events were found to vary as a function of stimulus information load, as a function of response information load and as a function of the level of practice which subjects attained in the task in question. These variations allow some comment on the utility of recent models for serial and parallel stimulus analysis as explanatory constructs for the repetition-effect.

On the time-course of automatic response activation in the Simon task

2017 ◽  
Vol 82 (4) ◽  
pp. 734-743 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruben Ellinghaus ◽  
Matthias Karlbauer ◽  
Karin M. Bausenhart ◽  
Rolf Ulrich
Keyword(s):  
Time Course ◽  
Simon Task ◽  
Automatic Response ◽  
Response Activation

scholarly journals Effects of age on inhibitory control are affected by task-specific features

2018 ◽  
Vol 71 (5) ◽  
pp. 1219-1233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela de Bruin ◽  
Sergio Della Sala
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Simon Task ◽  
Flanker Task ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Age Effects ◽  
Control Task ◽  
Younger Adults

Older adults have been argued to have impoverished inhibitory control compared to younger adults. However, these effects of age may depend on processing speed and their manifestation may furthermore depend on the type of inhibitory control task that is used. We present two experiments that examine age effects on inhibition across three tasks: a Simon arrow, static flanker and motion flanker task. The results showed overall slower reaction times (RTs) for older adults on all three tasks. However, effects of age on inhibition costs were only found for the Simon task, but not for the two flanker tasks. The motion flanker task furthermore showed an effect of baseline processing speed on the relation between age and inhibition costs. Older adults with slower baseline responses showed smaller inhibition costs, suggesting they were affected less by the flanker items than faster older adults. These findings suggest that effects of age on inhibition are task dependent and can be modulated by task-specific features such as the type of interference, type of stimuli and processing speed.

The Time Course of Perceptual Grouping in Natural Scenes

2012 ◽  
Vol 23 (12) ◽  
pp. 1482-1489 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilia Korjoukov ◽  
Danique Jeurissen ◽  
Niels A. Kloosterman ◽  
Josine E. Verhoeven ◽  
H. Steven Scholte ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Perception ◽  
Perceptual Grouping ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Object Classification ◽  
Natural Scenes ◽  
Single Object ◽  
Object A ◽  
Object Parsing ◽  
Different Parts

Visual perception starts with localized filters that subdivide the image into fragments that undergo separate analyses. The visual system has to reconstruct objects by grouping image fragments that belong to the same object. A widely held view is that perceptual grouping occurs in parallel across the visual scene and without attention. To test this idea, we measured the speed of grouping in pictures of animals and vehicles. In a classification task, these pictures were categorized efficiently. In an image-parsing task, participants reported whether two cues fell on the same or different objects, and we measured reaction times. Despite the participants’ fast object classification, perceptual grouping required more time if the distance between cues was larger, and we observed an additional delay when the cues fell on different parts of a single object. Parsing was also slower for inverted than for upright objects. These results imply that perception starts with rapid object classification and that rapid classification is followed by a serial perceptual grouping phase, which is more efficient for objects in a familiar orientation than for objects in an unfamiliar orientation.

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