The influence of the Japanese waving cat on the joint spatial compatibility effect: A replication and extension of Dolk, Hommel, Prinz, and Liepelt (2013)

In a joint go/no-go Simon task, each of two participants is to respond to one of two non-spatial stimulus features by means of a spatially lateralized response. Stimulus position varies horizontally and responses are faster and more accurate when response side and stimulus position match (compatible trial) than when they mismatch (incompatible trial), defining the social Simon effect or joint spatial compatibility effect. This effect was originally explained in terms of action/task co-representation, assuming that the co-actor’s action is automatically co-represented. Recent research by Dolk, Hommel, Prinz, and Liepelt (2013) challenged this account by demonstrating joint spatial compatibility effects in a task-setting in which non-social objects like a Japanese waving cat were present, but no real co-actor. They postulated that every sufficiently salient object induces joint spatial compatibility effects. However, what makes an object sufficiently salient is so far not well defined. To scrutinize this open question, the current study manipulated auditory and/or visual attention-attracting cues of a Japanese waving cat within an auditory (Experiment 1) and a visual joint go/no-go Simon task (Experiment 2). Results revealed that joint spatial compatibility effects only occurred in an auditory Simon task when the cat provided auditory cues while no joint spatial compatibility effects were found in a visual Simon task. This demonstrates that it is not the sufficiently salient object alone that leads to joint spatial compatibility effects but instead, a complex interaction between features of the object and the stimulus material of the joint go/no-go Simon task.

在联合选否西蒙任务（joint go/no-go Simon task）中，两名被试需分别通过空间单侧化的反应，对两种非空间刺激特征之一做出响应。刺激位置呈水平变化，当反应侧与刺激位置匹配（相容试次）时，反应速度更快、准确率更高，反之不匹配（不相容试次）时则不然，这一现象即被定义为社会西蒙效应（social Simon effect）或联合空间相容性效应（joint spatial compatibility effect）。该效应最初以动作/任务共同表征理论进行解释，即假设合作被试的动作会被自动共同表征。而Dolk、Hommel、Prinz与Liepelt（2013）的近期研究对此提出了质疑：他们在一项任务情境中观察到了联合空间相容性效应，该情境中仅存在诸如招财猫（Japanese waving cat）这类非社会性物体，并无真实的合作被试。他们提出，任何足够显著的物体均可引发联合空间相容性效应。但截至目前，对于“何种属性可令物体达到足够显著的程度”这一问题，尚未有明确界定。为深入探究这一悬而未决的问题，本研究在听觉版（实验1）与视觉版联合选否西蒙任务（实验2）中，对招财猫的听觉及/或视觉注意力吸引线索进行了操控。实验结果显示：仅当招财猫提供听觉线索时，听觉西蒙任务中才会出现联合空间相容性效应；而在视觉西蒙任务中则未观测到该效应。这一结果表明，联合空间相容性效应并非仅由足够显著的单一物体引发，而是由物体特征与联合选否西蒙任务的刺激材料之间的复杂交互作用所导致。