Abstract
The contribution of spatial and verbal working memory (WM) to the processing of stimulus location in the Simon task was examined in two experiments. Subjects performed the Simon task in single- and dual-task conditions. In the dual-task conditions, individuals first encoded the locations of four boxes/pseudocharacters or the identity of seven characters in memory, then responded to the color of a Simon stimulus, and finally received a test for the WM set. The Simon effect was insensitive to spatial WM load and was abolished by verbal WM load. These data reveal a role of verbal WM in the processing of spatial location in the Simon task. In addition, the data are inconsistent with dual-route models of the Simon effect and may support response discrimination accounts of the mechanisms underlying the processing of spatial location in the Simon task.
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This research was supported by NSFC Grant 30700226 and CPSF Grant 200902613.
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Zhao, X., Chen, A. & West, R. The influence of working memory load on the Simon effect. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review 17, 687–692 (2010). https://doi.org/10.3758/PBR.17.5.687
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/PBR.17.5.687