Analysis of response time distributions: An example using the Stroop task.

Heathcote, Andrew; Popiel, Stephen J.; Mewhort, D. J. K.

doi:10.1037/0033-2909.109.2.340

Cited by 496 publications

(652 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…In contrast, numerous studies have reported ex-Gaussian analyses of the standard Stroop effect. Across these investigations a consistent pattern has emerged, such that the Stroop effect is seen in all three ex-Gaussian parameters (see Balota et al 2010;Heathcote et al 1991;Spieler et al 1996).…”

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confidence: 72%

“…These results replicate previous reports in the literature (e.g., Augustinova & Ferrand, 2012;Augustinova et al 2010;Augustinova et al 2015;Labuschagne & Besner, 2015;Manwell et al 2004). According to reports by Spieler et al (1996) and Heathcote et al (1991), the standard Stroop effect yields effects on the mean of the normal distribution (mu), the standard deviation of the normal distribution (sigma), and the tail (tau). In contrast, an ex-Gaussian analysis of the combined data from Experiments 1, 2, 3, and 4 here yielded an SSE only in mu; the null effect in tau was particularly small (the scaled JZS Bayes factor of 8.9 is considered positive evidence in favor of the null; Wagenmakers, 2007).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The semantic Stroop effect: An ex-Gaussian analysis

2016

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Previous analyses of the standard Stroop effect (which typically uses color words that form part of the response set) have documented effects on mean reaction times in hundreds of experiments in the literature. Less well known is the fact that ex-Gaussian analyses reveal that such effects are seen in (a) the mean of the normal distribution (mu), as well as in (b) the standard deviation of the normal distribution (sigma) and (c) the tail (tau). No ex-Gaussian analysis exists in the literature with respect to the semantically based Stroop effect (which contrasts incongruent color-associated words with, e.g., neutral controls). In the present experiments, we investigated whether the semantically based Stroop effect is also seen in the three ex-Gaussian parameters. Replicating previous reports, color naming was slower when the color was carried by an irrelevant (but incongruent) colorassociated word (e.g., sky, tomato) than when the control items consisted of neutral words (e.g., keg, palace) in each of four experiments. An ex-Gaussian analysis revealed that this semantically based Stroop effect was restricted to the arithmetic mean and mu; no semantic Stroop effect was observed in tau. These data are consistent with the views (1) that there is a clear difference in the source of the semantic Stroop effect, as compared to the standard Stroop effect (evidenced by the presence vs. absence of an effect on tau), and (2) that interference associated with response competition on incongruent trials in tau is absent in the semantic Stroop effect.

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confidence: 72%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The semantic Stroop effect: An ex-Gaussian analysis

2016

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“…As Heathcote et al (1991) have pointed out, relying on analyses of means alone can potentially lead to inadequate or misleading conclusions. In this instance, distributional analyses and analyses of means yielded markedly divergent outcomes.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is becoming increasingly clear that the analysis of mean RTs alone is not only inadequate but can sometimes be misleading (Andrews & Heathcote, 2001;Balota & Spieler, 1999;Heathcote, Popiel, & Mewhort, 1991;Plourde & Besner, 1997;Spieler, Balota & Faust, 1996;Yap, Balota, Cortese, & Watson, 2006). In particular, failing to take the shape of the distribution into account may obscure more subtle aspects of performance.…”

Section: Additive Effects and Models Of Word Recognitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

On the additive effects of stimulus quality and word frequency in lexical decision: Evidence for opposing interactive influences revealed by RT distributional analyses.

Yap

Balota

Tse

et al. 2008

Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cogni

141

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The joint effects of stimulus quality and word frequency in lexical decision were examined in 4 experiments as a function of nonword type (legal nonwords, e.g., BRONE, vs. pseudohomophones, e.g., BRANE). When familiarity was a viable dimension for word-nonword discrimination, as when legal nonwords were used, additive effects of stimulus quality and word frequency were observed in both means and distributional characteristics of the response-time distributions. In contrast, when the utility of familiarity was undermined by using pseudohomophones, additivity was observed in the means but not in distributional characteristics. Specifically, opposing interactive effects in the underlying distribution were observed, producing apparent additivity in means. These findings are consistent with the suggestion that, when familiarity is deemphasized in lexical decision, cascaded processing between letter and word levels is in play, whereas, when familiarity is a viable dimension for word-nonword discrimination, processing is discrete.

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“…As RT distributions are usually not normally distributed but positively skewed (Heathcote et al, 1991), this procedure allows a more comprehensive analysis of RT data and therefore provides a more detailed characterization of pharmacological effects than traditional RT measures, enabling, for example, the analysis of RT variability. Distributional RT analyses have already been applied in prior studies using location-cueing paradigms (Gottlob, 2004;Vossel et al, 2006).…”

Section: Statistical Analysis Of Behavioral Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavioral and Neural Effects of Nicotine on Visuospatial Attentional Reorienting in Non-Smoking Subjects

Vossel

Thiel

Fink

2007

Neuropsychopharmacol

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The cholinergic neurotransmitter system has been proposed to be involved in the processing of probabilistic top-down information provided by endogenous cues in location-cueing paradigms. It has been shown that the behavioral and neural effects of a nicotinic cholinergic stimulation resemble the effects obtained by manipulating the validity of the spatial cues: enhancing cortical nicotine levels and decreasing cue validity both reduce the reaction time difference between invalidly and validly cued targets (ie, the 'validity effect') as well as neural activity related to attentional reorienting in parietal brain regions. In the present study, we investigated whether the behavioral and neural effects of nicotine in location-cueing paradigms are dependent upon different a priori cue validities. Twenty-four subjects were investigated in a double-blind placebo-controlled between-subject design with functional magnetic resonance imaging. Nicotine was administered to non-smoking volunteers via polacrilex gums (Nicorette s , 2 mg) before performing a location-cueing paradigm with valid and invalid cues in the context of 90 and 60% cue validity in the MR scanner. Nicotine significantly reduced the validity effect in the 90% but not in the 60% cue validity condition. Fronto-parietal and cingulate regions showed stronger nicotinic reductions of reorientingrelated neural activity in the high than in the low cue validity condition. Our data reveal an interaction effect between the pharmacological and cognitive modulation of attentional reorienting, which is evident at both a behavioral as well as the neuronal level.

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Analysis of response time distributions: An example using the Stroop task.

Cited by 496 publications

References 29 publications

The semantic Stroop effect: An ex-Gaussian analysis

The semantic Stroop effect: An ex-Gaussian analysis

On the additive effects of stimulus quality and word frequency in lexical decision: Evidence for opposing interactive influences revealed by RT distributional analyses.

Behavioral and Neural Effects of Nicotine on Visuospatial Attentional Reorienting in Non-Smoking Subjects

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