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Stimulus–response compatibility with body parts: a study with hands

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Abstract

Stimulus–response compatibility (SRC) effects are classified depending on the way that the elements of the stimulus and response sets interact, influencing both the speed and accuracy of the motor response. This is particularly important for social stimuli, such as hands. However, the stimuli used in most SRC studies are often simple or abstract figures. Our main goal in the present work was to investigate how task ensembles containing body parts (hands) as stimuli fit into Kornblum’s taxonomy expressed in the dimensional overlap model. Specifically, we test whether hand stimuli elicit Simon or spatial Stroop effects in a SRC task. We set up two experiments using either hands or arrows as stimuli. Our results demonstrate that hands elicit a Simon effect in a SRC task. However, different from arrows, which constitute Type 8 Kornblum’s ensembles, hands do not elicit a spatial Stroop effect and form Type 3 ensembles.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Dr. Carlo Umiltà for suggestions to the manuscript. Research supported by: Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq): Proc. 478834/2013-6, Proc. 450588/2009-2, Proc. 309544/2009-2, Proc. 483611/2009-3, Proc. 455353/2012-3, Proc. 312189/2012-5, Proc. 478834/2013-6, PIBIC/UFF/CNPq, PIBITI/UFF/CNPq. Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES): Proc. AEX 1249/13-4, PROAP/CAPES/UFF. Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ): Edital FAPERJ no 06/2013 (Pró-idoso) – Proc. 110.079/2013, E-26/101.958/2010, E-26/101.061/2011, E-26/100.661/2013, E-26/102.160/2013. Pró-Reitoria de Pesquisa, Pós-graduação e Inovação da Universidade Federal Fluminense: FAPESQ/PROPPi/UFF.

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The authors declare that they have not conflict of interest.

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All procedures performed in the study were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Correspondence to Antônio Pereira.

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Lameira, A.P., Pereira, A., Fraga-Filho, R.S. et al. Stimulus–response compatibility with body parts: a study with hands. Exp Brain Res 233, 2127–2132 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-015-4283-z

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