Compatibility between stimulated eye, target location and response location

• Published in: Psychological research Vol. 74; no. 3; pp. 291 - 301
• Main Authors: Schankin, Andrea, Valle-Inclán, Fernando, Hackley, Steven A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer-Verlag 01.05.2010; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Analysis of Variance; Attention - physiology; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Brain Mapping; Cerebral Cortex - physiology; Codes; Cues; Electroencephalography; Experiments; Female; Functional Laterality - physiology; Humans; Male; Orientation - physiology; Original Article; Pattern Recognition, Visual - physiology; Photic Stimulation; Psychological research; Psychology; Psychology Research; Psychomotor Performance - physiology; Reaction Time - physiology; Space Perception - physiology; Time Factors; Vision, Ocular - physiology; Simon Effect; Lateralized Readiness Potential; Spatial Code; Effect Function; Compatibility Effect
• ISSN: 0340-0727; 1430-2772
• DOI: 10.1007/s00426-009-0247-x

Responses to stimuli are faster when the stimulus location spatially corresponds to the required response (standard Simon effect). Recently, a similar effect has been observed with monocular stimuli. Responses were faster when the response location and the stimulated eye corresponded (monocular Simon effect). It has been suggested that distinct mechanisms may underlie these two Simon effects. Here, we attempted to study these two mechanisms simultaneously. For mean reaction time, a finding of perfect additivity was obtained. These behavioral data coupled with surface electrophysiological measures support the view that two different mechanisms contribute independently to the monocular and standard Simon effect.