Manual responses can be defined by differing response parameters. Any of them may generate a Simon effect. For all those response parameters, the same implementation of the Simon effect (in terms of subserving mechanism) is assumed. In 3 experiments, subjects had to respond with either fingers or sticks. Temporal properties of the Simon effect changed with response parameters relevant in a task. The Simon effect for manual responses decayed. For stick responses, in which the action goal differed from the anatomical mapping of the acting hand, a sustained Simon effect was observed. However, if the action goal for stick responses was not instrumental for selecting the correct response, the Simon effect decayed. The findings are consistent with the notion of different mechanisms involved in generating a Simon effect.
Choice reactions can be performed more quickly if the response corresponds spatially to the stimulus, even when the stimulus location is irrelevant for the task (Simon effect). It is assumed that the Simon effect is related to interference between spatial stimulus and response codes in a response selection stage. A central finding for such a response selection account is the increase in the effect if the most probable response location is given in advance by an intentional pre-cue. However, Hasbroucq and Possamaı¨(1994) assumed that the increase in the Simon effect in such a task may be due to an unmeant pre-cueing of the stimulus location, which has been recently supported by an electroencephalography (EEG) study by Wascher and Wolber (2004). In the present study this notion has been tested experimentally. In Experiment 1, a centrally presented symbolic cue served as an intentional cue. As a result, the enhancement of the Simon effect in valid cueing almost disappeared. When tactile cues were used (Experiment 2), the increase in the Simon effect disappeared completely. Thus, the influence of intentional cueing reported in previous studies can be assigned to attentional factors and does not support a response selection account.
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