Predictability reduces event file retrieval

Abstract

There is growing consensus that stimulus–response bindings (event files) play a central role in human action control. Here, we investigated how the integration and the retrieval of event files are affected by the predictability of stimulus components of event files. We used the distractor–response binding paradigm, in which nominally task-irrelevant distractors are repeated or alternated from a prime to a probe display. The typical outcome of these kinds of tasks is that the effects of distractor repetition and response repetition interact: Performance is worse if the distractor repeats but the response does not, or vice versa. This partial-repetition effect was reduced when the distractor was highly predictable (Experiment 1). Separate manipulations of distractor predictability in the prime and probe trial revealed that this pattern was only replicated if the probe distractors were predictable (Experiment 2b, 3), but not if prime distractors were predictable (Experiment 2a). This suggests that stimulus predictability does not affect the integration of distractor information into event files, but the retrieval of these files when one or more of the integrated features are repeated. We take our findings to support theoretical claims that integration and retrieval of event files might differ concerning their sensitivity to top-down factors.

Towards a systematization of brain oscillatory activity in actions

“…contingencies [32][33][34][35][36] were used to manipulate binding versus retrieval separately. In addition, perceptual grouping has been successfully used to manipulate binding versus retrieval 37,38 .…”

Cognitive and Neural Mechanisms of Behavior Therapy for Tics: A Perception–Action Integration Approach

“…A measured binding effect always comprises a binding proper plus retrieval. Furthermore, top-down (e.g., attentional weighting) [ 67 ] or bottom-up processes (e.g., perceptual grouping of distractors) [ 68 ] can influence binding and retrieval independently. The distinction between binding and retrieval motivates experimental manipulations that allow more precise insights and predictions of behavioral and neurophysiological processes so that treatment approaches could potentially be tailored to altered cognitive processes [ 65 ].…”