Abstract
Four experiments explored the effect of fight/left cues on the spatial compatibility effects of the above/below and near/far dimensions. Experiment 1, in which stimuli and responses were positioned either above or below a central reference location, showed a strong spatial compatibility effect. Experiment 2 replicated Experiment 1 with the exception that right/left cues, incongruent with the above/below ones, were added. Compatibility proved to be stronger along the right/left dimension. In Experiment 3, near/far was the dimension according to which the cues were defined while the right/left dimension provided competing cues. Again, spatial compatibility was stronger along the right/left dimension. In Experiment 4, as in Experiment 2, the spatial cues involved the above/below and right/left dimensions. This time, the experimental procedure was such as to allow the competing spatial cues to vary independently and orthogonally. The results showed reliable compatibility effects for both dimensions, although they were apparently much stronger for the right/left one. Such findings are discussed with reference to the prevailing hypotheses proposed to explain S-R compatibility and the right/left confusion phenomenon observed in locational-discrimination tasks.
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This research was supported by funds from the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche and the Ministero della Pubblica Istruzione.
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Nicoletti, R., Umiltà, C. Right-left prevalence in spatial compatibility. Perception & Psychophysics 35, 333–343 (1984). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03206337
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03206337