A Simon effect in memory retrieval: evidence for the response-discrimination account

Abstract

According to the traditional view, the effects of irrelevant stimulus location on the selection of a spatial response to a nonspatial stimulus feature (Simon effect) result from long-term associations between spatial stimulus codes and spatially corresponding response codes. According to an alternative view, the response-discrimination account, Simon effects arise from interactions between spatial stimulus codes and response labels in working memory (WM). The latter account predicts Simon effects when participants use spatial labels for response representation in WM, even when the actual responses have no spatial features (e.g., saying the word "plate"). The prediction was tested in an experiment, in which participants first encoded two words at different locations, and then responded to a stimulus by saying the word from the location indicated by stimulus color. The manipulation concerned the correspondence between irrelevant location of the colored stimulus and the retrieval cue for the vocal responses (i.e., word location in the encoding display). A Simon effect in memory retrieval was observed, supporting the response-discrimination account.