Sense and Sensitivity – Using Spatial Response-Compatibility Effects to Investigate Ambiguous Word Meaning

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Christian Büsel ◽  
Pierre Sachse ◽  
Ole Goltermann ◽  
Ulrich Ansorge
Keyword(s):  
Compatibility Effect ◽  
Word Meaning ◽  
Ambiguous Word ◽  
Visual Features ◽  
Letter Sequence ◽  
Response Compatibility ◽  
Word Meanings ◽  
Stimulus Response ◽  
Spatial Response ◽  
Stimulus Response Compatibility

Abstract. We investigated sensitivity for the vertical meaning of the German particle ab by means of stimulus–response compatibility effects. In German, the particle ab is ambiguous and can take on a vertical meaning (downward) as in Auf und Ab (engl. up and down), but it can also take on nonvertical or nonspatial meanings as in Ab und An (engl. from time to time). We show that the particle ab only creates a spatial compatibility effect relative to the German particle auf (Experiment 1) but not relative to the particle an (Experiment 2). Furthermore, as participants executed upward versus downward responses in both Experiments 1 and 2, the mere vertical antagonism of the responses was insufficient to instill a verticality-based compatibility effect. In addition, the compatibility effect was restricted to the transparent version of the particle. If a letter sequence corresponding to the particles was presented in a semantically and morphologically opaque way (e.g., the letters ab were embedded in the German word kn ab e, engl. boy), no compatibility effect was found, underlining that the effect was due to word meanings rather than visual features. The results underscore the boundary conditions for using compatibility effects in investigating lexical and semantic spatial processing in humans.

Stimulus-response compatibility in intensity-force relations

2002 ◽  
Vol 55 (4) ◽  
pp. 1175-1191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Mattes ◽  
Hartmut Leuthold ◽  
Rolf Ulrich
Keyword(s):  
Stimulus Intensity ◽  
Compatibility Effect ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Response Compatibility ◽  
Weak Force ◽  
Stimulus Response ◽  
Target Force ◽  
Stimulus Response Compatibility ◽  
Symbolic Coding ◽  
Modality Difference

Romaiguère, Hasbroucq, Possamaï, and Seal (1993) reported a new compatibility effect from a task that required responses of two different target force levels to stimuli of two different intensities. Reaction times were shorter when high and low stimulus intensities were mapped to strong and weak force presses respectively than when this mapping was reversed. We conducted six experiments to refine the interpretation of this effect. Experiments 1 to 4 demonstrated that the compatibility effect is clearly larger for auditory than for visual stimuli. Experiments 5 and 6 generalized this finding to a task where stimulus intensity was irrelevant. This modality difference refines Romaiguère et al.'s (1993) symbolic coding interpretation by showing that modality-specific codes underlie the intensity-force compatibility effect. Possible accounts in terms of differences in the representational mode and action effects are discussed.

Inhibitory Function in the Stimulus-Response Compatibility Task

2005 ◽  
Vol 100 (1) ◽  
pp. 249-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noriaki Tsuchida
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Response Time ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Compatibility Effect ◽  
Error Rates ◽  
Response Compatibility ◽  
Dual Task Condition ◽  
Stimulus Response ◽  
Inhibitory Function ◽  
Stimulus Response Compatibility

Changes of a location-based inhibitory function were investigated by performing a Stimulus-Response Compatibility task under two conditions. This task allows study of the efficiency of the inhibitory function by analyzing differences in error rates and in response time under various conditions of stimulus and response compatibility. In Exp. 1, with 28 college students, the effect of a dual task on the Stimulus-Response Compatibility effect was examined. In a dual-task, a predetermined stimulus such as a color is identified and the number of times a color is displayed is counted. In this experiment, under a dual task using visual stimuli, a decline in error responses and reduction of the Stimulus-Response Compatibility effect were observed. In Exp. 2, 29 college students participated in an identical experiment with the exception that an auditory stimulus was presented as the dual task. Similar to Exp. 1, there was a significant reduction in the number of error responses in the dual-task condition. Conversely, there was no significant change in Stimulus-Response Compatibility effect as estimated by response time. These results suggest that the two visual pathways as proposed by Goodale (1995) and the evocation of intentional attention may affect the Stimulus-Response Compatibility effect.

scholarly journals Heaviness-brightness correspondence and stimulus-response compatibility

2020 ◽  
Vol 82 (4) ◽  
pp. 1949-1970
Author(s):  
Peter Walker ◽  
Gabrielle Scallon ◽  
Brian J Francis
Keyword(s):  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Compatibility Effect ◽  
Memory Load ◽  
Visual Stimuli ◽  
Congruity Effect ◽  
Response Compatibility ◽  
Gray Background ◽  
Stimulus Response ◽  
Stimulus Response Compatibility

AbstractCross-sensory correspondences can reflect crosstalk between aligned conceptual feature dimensions, though uncertainty remains regarding the identities of all the dimensions involved. It is unclear, for example, if heaviness contributes to correspondences separately from size. Taking steps to dissociate variations in heaviness from variations in size, the question was asked if a heaviness-brightness correspondence will induce a congruity effect during the speeded brightness classification of simple visual stimuli. Participants classified the stimuli according to whether they were brighter or darker than the mid-gray background against which they appeared. They registered their speeded decisions by manipulating (e.g., tapping) the object they were holding in either their left or right hand (e.g., left for bright, right for dark). With these two otherwise identical objects contrasting in their weight, stimuli were classified more quickly when the relative heaviness of the object needing to be manipulated corresponded with the brightness of the stimulus being classified (e.g., the heavier object for a darker stimulus). This novel congruity effect, in the guise of a stimulus-response (S-R) compatibility effect, was induced when heaviness was isolated as an enduring feature of the object needing to be manipulated. It was also undiminished when participants completed a concurrent verbal memory load task, countering claims that the heaviness-brightness correspondence is verbally mediated. Heaviness, alongside size, appears to contribute to cross-sensory correspondences in its own right and in a manner confirming the far-reaching influence of correspondences, extending here to the fluency with which people communicate simple ideas by manipulating a hand-held object.

The Role of Feedback in Learning Spatially Incompatible Choice Reaction Tasks: Does it Have one?

1993 ◽  
Vol 37 (19) ◽  
pp. 1320-1324
Author(s):  
Addie Dutta ◽  
Robert W. Proctor
Keyword(s):  
Compatibility Effect ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Response Compatibility ◽  
Stimulus Response ◽  
Response Deadline ◽  
Extended Practice ◽  
Stimulus Response Compatibility ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Speed Accuracy

Stimulus-response compatibility effects have been shown to persist even after extended practice. In the present study, two experiments were conducted to see if the effects persist when knowledge of results that allows subjects to set performance goals is provided. In the first experiment, summary feedback about mean accuracy and mean reaction time was provided after each block of 40 trials of practice in a two-choice spatial compatibility task. Subjects practiced the task for 2,400 trials, yet the compatibility effect was not eliminated. Compared to previous experiments, reaction times were faster overall, but the degree of change was the same for both compatible and incompatible assignments. In the second experiment, a response deadline was imposed on each trial. If the subject did not respond within the time limit, which was reduced as the experiment progressed, auditory feedback was presented. Summary feedback was also presented as in Experiment 1. Again, 2,400 trials of practice reduced but did not eliminate the compatibility effect. The greater reduction in the difference in reaction times for compatible and incompatible assignments, relative to other experiments, could be attributed to speed-accuracy tradeoff. The results indicate that the persistence of stimulus-response compatibility effects with extended practice is not due to poorer motivation to perform with the incompatible assignment. The results suggest that training will be insufficient to overcome difficulties in performance resulting from spatially incompatible assignments.

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