ABSTRACT
Atkins (2003) emphasizes that great ideas in science are simple concepts with far-reaching consequences. Within the study of human performance and, more generally, psychology, the concept of stimulus-response (S-R) compatibility introduced by Paul Fitts and colleagues a little over 50 years ago qualifies as a great idea. It has served to define a large body of basic and applied research of a variety of types since its introduction, with the concept taking central stage in recent years as researchers have focused increasingly on understanding perception-action relations. Our goal in this book is to convey the broad range of theoretical and applied issues that have been investigated from the compatibility perspective and to acquaint readers with the progress that has been made and many of the issues that remain to be resolved.
