Predictability influences stopping and response control.
Using a continuous tracking task, the authors examined whether stopping is resistant to expectancies as well as whether it is a representative measure of response control. Participants controlled the speed of a moving marker by continuously adjusting their response force. Participants stopped their ongoing tracking in response to auditory signals on 25%, 50%, 75%, or 100% of trials. Stopping was contrasted with accelerating, in which participants accelerated the marker in response to the signals. In Experiment 1, on each trial participants either stopped or accelerated, allowing a trade-off between the two. In Experiments 2 and 3, participants only stopped or only accelerated, thus decreasing the likelihood of a trade-off. When a trade-off was possible, stopping was resistant to expectancies. However, with little or no trade-off, expectancies influenced stopping and accelerating similarly. These findings contrast with the established view that stopping is insensitive to expectancies. In addition, when trade-offs are prevented, these results confirm that stopping is representative of other response adjustment measures.
Morein-Zamir
Sharon
S
Psychology Department, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada. sm658@cam.ac.uk
Chua
Romeo
R
Franks
Ian
I
Nagelkerke
Paul
P
Kingstone
Alan
A
D000054:Acceleration; D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention; D003118:Color Perception; D003210:Concept Formation; D003463:Cues; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D008297:Male; D009039:Motion Perception; D009949:Orientation; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D012718:Set, Psychology