A Simon effect induced by induced moton and location: evidence for a direct linkage of  cognitive and motor maps.
It has been argued that two distinct maps of visual space are formed: a cognitive map that is susceptible to illusions, and a motor map that represents the physical world veridically. In the present study, subjects responded to a nonspatial attribute of a visual target stimulus by pressing a left or right key, while an illusory horizontal displacement of the target was induced. A Simon-type effect was obtained to the induced target motion or position shift-that is, responses were faster when the illusory target motion or location corresponded to the response position. Further experiments indicated that the observed effects cannot be accounted for by attentional shifts. These results suggest that the content of the cognitive map does not only influence perceptual judgments but is also responsible for the automatic activation of response codes. In other words, perception and action seem to be fed by a common, cognitively penetrable, spatial representation.
Kerzel
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Department of Cognition and Action, Max Planck Institute for Psychological Research, Munich, Germany. kerzel@mpipf-muenchen.mpg.de
Hommel
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B
Bekkering
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H
D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D009039:Motion Perception; D009903:Optical Illusions; D009949:Orientation; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D011930:Reaction Time