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. 2009 Feb 7;276(1656):515-21.
doi: 10.1098/rspb.2008.0933.

Either or neither, but not both: locating the effects of masked primes

Friederike Schlaghecken  1 , Stuart T Klapp, Elizabeth A Maylor
Affiliations

Either or neither, but not both: locating the effects of masked primes

Friederike Schlaghecken et al. Proc Biol Sci. .

Abstract

Execution of a response that has been primed by a backward-masked stimulus is inhibited (negative compatibility effect; NCE). Three experiments investigated the locus of this inhibition. Masked primes (left- or right-pointing arrows) were followed either by an arrow or a circle target. Arrow targets always required a left- or right-hand response, but the experiments differed in the response required to circles: press neither, either or both response keys (i.e. nogo, free choice and bimanual, respectively). Arrow targets showed the usual NCEs. Circle targets showed NCEs in the form of a response bias away from the primed response in the nogo and free-choice tasks; primes and targets differed on these trials, ruling out a perceptual explanation of the NCE. The bimanual task showed no such bias, suggesting that the NCE is located at a level of abstract response codes rather than specific muscle commands.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic representation of stimulus material and trial structure in all three experiments. Note that targets appeared randomly and with equal probability above (as depicted) or below fixation.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Priming effects in all three experiments (experiment 1, nogo: white bar; experiment 2, free choice: grey bar; experiment 3, bimanual: black bar). (a) RT difference between compatible and incompatible arrow-target trials and (b) between prime-compatible and -incompatible responses on circle-target trials. (c) Error rate difference between compatible and incompatible arrow-target trials and (d) response selection bias on circle-target trials, expressed as chance level (50%) minus percentage of prime-incompatible response choices. Error bars indicate one standard error of the mean difference.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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