Mobilizing cognition for speeded action: try-harder instructions promote motivated readiness in the constant-foreperiod paradigm

One reviewer had some questions regarding error rate in short-FP blocks. It may sometimes be of theoretical importance to show that an effect on RT occurs robustly, irrespective of (even small) differences in error rate across individuals (Jentzsch & Dudschig, 2009; Notebaert et al., 2009; Steinborn, Flehmig, Bratzke, & Schroeter, 2012). However, this should explicitly be demonstrated. To this end, we divided the sample into three parts according to the individual overall error rate and selected one-third (the most accurate) of the sample for further analysis. In fact, similar results were obtained both visually and statistically. Responses were faster in blocks with the short-FP than with long-FP duration, as indicated by a main effect of FP length on RTM [F(1,10) = 34.8, p < 0.001]. Responses were also faster in effort trials than in standard trials, as indicated by the main effect of CUE on RTM [F(1,10) = 38.0, p < 0.001]. No FP × CUE interaction on RTM occurred (F < 1.7).

One reviewer asked whether the exercising of effort and the resulting benefit in a current trial yielded costs in the subsequent trial. This issue is certainly important particularly with respect to recent findings and theorizing in the domain of vigilance-detection performance (Helton & Russell, 2011; Matthews et al., 2002; Thomson, Besner, & Smilek, 2015; Warm, Parasuraman, Matthews, 2008). In response to this request, we performed an extensional GLM analysis, comparing RT performance in standard–standard versus effort–standard sequences. The result of this extensional analysis is that individuals become slightly faster (not slower) after the effort trial as compared to after a standard trial (p > 0.05). There was no interaction with foreperiod length (F < 1). This indicates that attentional control settings are affected by short-term effort mobilization, although the precise mechanism underlying this aftereffect cannot be determined here. We therefore will not further expand on this issue at this point. Notably, our results are consistent with a recent finding of Ralph, Onderwater, Thomson & Smilek (2016), who observed that vigilance-detection performance immediately improved after the arousing experience of exercising a car game.