ABSTRACT
In spatial choice response tasks, reaction time (RT) depends on the mapping between a fixed set of stimuli and a fixed set of responses. This effect has been accounted for in terms of the “obviousness” of S—R relationships. Results show this account to be incomplete. Two different properties of the mapping influence spatial CRTs. One is the relationship between stimulus and response in individual S—R pairs. The other is the set of relationships represented in the whole mapping. Specifically, RT is short when the spatial relationship between stimulus and response is the same in all S—R pairs in the mapping. The results suggest that S—R mappings are not stored as sets of individual S—R associations. Rather they are stored as systems of rules that may each apply to several S—R pairs. The complexity of these systems does not depend only on the “obviousness” of individual S—R relationships.
