Cognitive Processing Mechanism Of Non - Spatial Simon Effect In Task Transformation Paradigm

Stimulus-response compatibility (SRC) effect has been the focus problems in the area of cognitive psychology and engineering psychology, which described the influence of the spatial patterns of stimulus location and movement reaction on individual information processing from the point of the spatial matching relations. As a typical spatial stimulus-response compatibility effect, Simon effect and its various variants have attracted more and more attention by researchers. The non-spatial Simon effect is one variant of standard Simon effect. Previous studies using different experimental paradigms, control stimuli mode, Reaction mode, to explore spatial Simon effect and its inversion phenomenon, and try to be explained by the different theoretical models, but has yet to form a unified conclusion.Recent findings showed that the Simon effect occurs in the joint version of the task as well—an observation that we will refer to as the joint Simon effect (JSE; Sebanz et al.,2003). Interestingly, turning the standard two-choice Simon task into a go/no-go task by having participants respond to only one of the two stimulus alternatives by pressing only one of the two keys eliminates the Simon effect. And this makes theoretical sense: performing just one response does not require or suggest coding this response as left or right, so that the stimulus location code no longer matches or mismatches with the (no longer existing) response code. However, performing this go/no-go task side-by-side with another person makes the Simon effect reappear—the JSE (Sebanz et al.,2003). This suggests that the presence of a coactor changes one’s representation of the task and/or one’s action. Several theoretical suggestions have been made as to why that might be the case. Representative theories include the spatial response coding account and referential coding account. The referential coding approach shares the assumption of the spatial response coding account that spatial response coding is the crucial factor for the JSE to occur, but they differ with respect to the relevance of the spatial dimension:whereas the spatial response coding approach considers location to be the only dimension on which responses can be coded, the referential coding approach allows any perceptual dimension to serve as the basis of response discrimination. To verify the controversy of these hypotheses, Sellaro et al. (2014)proposed the non-spatial Simon effect based on the color, a new variant of the Simon effect and the non-space of the Joint Simon effect, they implemented three versions of the Simon task:a standard two-choice version, an individual go/no-go and a joint go/no-go task. the results confirmed the occurrence of a non-spatial Simon effect in the two-choice task and supported the referential coding account, suggest that referential response coding can be based on any salient (spatial or non-spatial) feature. Therefore, this study replicated Sellaro, who first studied to confirm the present of non-spatial Simon effect, then the use of task-switching paradigm to explore the inversion phenomenon of non-spatial Simon effect and its mechanism, and try to explain it with the Logical Recoding Account.The study included two experiments. Experiment 1 apply the two-choice task, the subjects were wearing red and/or green gloves in their left and hand, the color of gloves is consistent with the color of the key marked, asked the subject to render to the center red or green stimulus" shape (round or triangular), to verify whether the non-spatial Simon effect exists. Experiment 2 using the transfer paradigm, subjects were asked to perform the induction task, and then complete the diagnostic tasks after a break of five minutes, including task-induced color discrimination task (color is relevant dimensions), diagnostic tasks for shape discrimination task (color is independent of the diagnostic task) to explore the color discrimination task when color matching incompatible, non-spatial Simon effect in shape discrimination task is reduced, disappear, or even reversed, and explore the mechanism of reversal of non-spatial Simon effect.The following conclusions of this study:(1) The non-spatial Simon effect based on the color existed, the non-spatial attributes (such as color) which were task-unrelated can be processed through the automatic routes.In other words, the non-spatial attributes (such as color) of stimulus can automatically activate its similar or identical reactions, subjects have faster reaction and higher accuracy when the color of stimulus with that of response than when it does not.(2) the presence of a non-spatial Simon effect is consistent with the reference coding theory. Spatial location is not the only dimension on which responses can be coded, allows any other significant features of stimulus which can be perceptual to serve as the basis of response discrimination.(3) control the instructions of task, non-spatial Simon effect will be reduced, disappear, or even reversed. The inversion phenomenon of non-spatial Simon effect is in favor of logical re-coding account, that is to say, the abstract " response opposite" rule in inducer task transfer to the task -irrelevant color discrimination in diagnostic, which lead to the non-spatial Simon effect reduced, disappeared, and even reversed.