Technical Report #155

Perceptual Dimensional Constraints in Response Selection Processes

Asher Cohen and Rachel Shoup

Abstract

This study demonstrates that the initial analysis of visual objects into features from different dimensions strongly constrains postperceptual processes of response selection. When a target that is associated with a response on the basis of one dimension is presented simultaneously with flankers that are associated with a response on the basis of another dimension, the response to the target is not affected by the identity of the flankers. Experiments 1 and 2 show that this finding holds under a variety of conditions. The identity of the fiankers affects the response to the target when all stimuli are associated with a response on the basis of the same dimension (Experiment 3), even when the target and flankers are clearly dissimilar (Experiment 4), or belong to different semantic categories (Experiment 5). A model of response selection is proposed to account for these findings.