Automatic sequential response priming and intentional response preparation in choice reaction tasks: evidence from response repetition and response cuing.
This study examined the interaction of response repetition and response cuing in a finger cuing task with a short and a long cue-stimulus interval (CSI). We observed shorter reaction times (RTs) with increasing CSI and a substantial response repetition benefit. However, this benefit was abolished at the long CSI, suggesting that response cuing neutralized the repetition effect. According to additive-factors logic, the observed interaction suggests that both repetition and cuing exert their influence on a common processing stage, which we identify as the response selection stage. We argue that cuing and repetition effects are expressions of distinct mental operations: cuing is based on intentional response code activation, whereas repetition is based on sequential, automatic response code priming. Cue-based intentional code activation starts slowly and increases with CSI, but sequential response priming is independent of CSI, explaining why cuing abolishes the response repetition benefit at the long CSI.
Adam
Jos J
JJ
Department of Movement Sciences, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands. jos.adam@bw.unimaas.nl
Koch
Iring
I
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D002755:Choice Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D003463:Cues; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology*; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology