When awareness gets in the way: Reactivation aversion effects resolve the generality/specificity paradox in sensorimotor interference tasks

J Exp Psychol Gen. 2020 Nov;149(11):2020-2045. doi: 10.1037/xge0000755. Epub 2020 Mar 19.

Abstract

Interference tasks combining different distractor types usually find that between-trial adaptations (congruency sequence effects [CSEs]) do not interact with each other, suggesting that sensorimotor control is domain-specific. However, within each trial, different distractor types often do interact, suggesting that control is domain-general. The present study presents a solution to this apparent paradox. In 3 experiments, testing 130 participants in total, we (a) confirm the simultaneous presence of between-trial domain-specific (noninteracting) CSEs and within-trial "domain-general" interactions in a fully factorial hybrid prime-Simon design free of repetition or contingency confounds; (b) demonstrate that the within-trial interaction occurs with supraliminal, but not with subliminal primes; and (c) show that it is disproportionately enlarged in older adults. Our findings suggest that whereas interference (priming and Simon) effects and CSEs reflect direct sensorimotor control, the within-trial interaction does not reflect sensorimotor control but "confusion" at higher-level processing stages (reactivation aversion effect [RAE]). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Attention / physiology*
  • Executive Function / physiology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Neuropsychological Tests
  • Psychomotor Performance / physiology*
  • Young Adult