Abstract
The role of response mapping is investigated with response repetition, response gesturing and stimulus location.
In the present study, two experiments were conducted to determine whether complete or partial response repetition influences the task switching cost, which is the difference in performance between switched and non-switched task sequences. Participants were required to react to a location with closed or open squares by pressing keys corresponding to three locations. The target stimulus in the probe (one arrow in Experiment 1 and three squares in Experiment 2) followed the three squares in the prime. An endogenous cue was presented in order to decide switch or non-switch in the probe target in Experiment 1 or in the display between the prime and the probe targets in Experiment 2. In Experiment 1, participants responded to the probe target based on the prime response, and in Experiment 2, they did so based on a visual cue. In some trials, there was a switch from the prime task (response to closed square followed response to open square), in some trials, the same task was repeated (response to closed followed response to closed). The results highlight the three important points to consider in the role of response mapping. First, a switch cost occurred only under response repetition. Especially, this response repetition may be concerned with translation into action. Second, the presence of response in the prime inhibited response to the target in the probe, compared with an absence of response. Third, a switch cost occurred when the target stimulus had the spatial information with the presentation of squares. These results suggest that a task-set reconfiguration reflects response repetition and activation on the stimulus location.
Supported by JSPS grant 12551001 & 13224021.