Citation

Mordkoff JT, Yantis S. J. Exp. Psychol. Hum. Percept. Perform. 1991; 17(2): 520-538.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1991, American Psychological Association)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

1830090

Abstract

Two classes of models have been proposed to explain how redundant information extracted from separate sources comes to activate a single response. Each provides a fundamentally different account of why responses to redundant signals are typically faster than those to either signal alone (the redundant-signals effect). Independent race models assume that a race occurs between perceptual codes on independent channels and that only the winner activates the response. Coactivation models assume that there is some form of energy or activation-strength summation, with information being pooled across channels prior to decision. An intermediate class of models is introduced and a specific exemplar, the interactive race model, is tested in a series of redundant-target detection experiments. In particular, we examine the effects on performance of two types of contingency that have previously been overlooked as sources of task-relevant information. The results reveal that response times are significantly influenced by both interstimulus and stimulus-response contingencies. The interactive race model provides a natural account of these findings as well as several otherwise puzzling results in the divided-attention literature.

Language: en