The Salient-Features Coding Principle for Spatial-and Symbolic-Compatibility Effects

This chapter describes the salient-features coding principle for spatial and symbolic-compatibility effects of Stimulus-response (S-R) compatibility effects, and observes that as for the compatibility effect that occurs with a normal hand placement in two-choice tasks, the relation between stimulus locations and response locations is confounded with the relation when only the adjacent-hand placement is used.

Abstract

This chapter describes the salient-features coding principle for spatial and symbolic-compatibility effects. Stimulus-response (S-R) compatibility effects typically are attributed to a stage of human-information processing that is referred to as S-R translation, response selection, or decision. The primary function of this stage is to translate between the codes that are used to represent the stimulus and response sets. Situations for which S-R translation is minimal are regarded as compatible, whereas situations for which it is not are regarded as incompatible. With spatial-location stimuli, S-R compatibility is a function of the extent to which the assignment of stimulus locations to response locations maintains a direct relation. Spatial coding also is apparent when symbolic stimuli are assigned to left and right response locations, but the stimuli occur in either of two locations that are irrelevant for determining the correct response. It is observed that as for the compatibility effect that occurs with a normal hand placement in two-choice tasks, the relation between stimulus locations and response locations is confounded with the relation between stimulus locations and fingers when only the adjacent-hand placement is used.