Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2018

Abstract

The directional Stroop task (e.g., Cannon, 1998) creates interference between a directional word and a directional cue, such as an arrow. This study was conducted to replicate directional Stroop interference using bimodal stimulus pairs and then to determine whether or not interference occurs when the word is replaced with a sound. In Experiment 1, an arrow, pointing up or down, was paired with a directional word (UP or DOWN). Subjects were faster responding to the direction of the arrow when the pairs were congruent compared to incongruent indicating interference. In Experiment 2, the visual word was replaced with a voice. Incongruent trials produced longer RTs but there was no statistical difference between conditions. In Experiment 3, the auditory word was replaced with the sound of a slide whistle either going up or going down. Although response times were longer for incongruent pairs and the effect size was moderate, there was no significant interference between the arrow and a direction-related sound. Experiment 4 utilized the same design as Experiment 3. However, in Experiment 4 subjects responded to the direction of the sound instead of the arrow. Performance across conditions was virtually identical indicating that the visual directional cue (i.e., the arrow) had no impact on identifying the direction of the sound. Together, the results replicate previous research with a visual directional task but did not extend these findings to auditory-visual cross-modal tasks. However, the initial results from Experiments 3 and 4 suggest that auditory cues may influence visual directional cues but that visual cues do not influence auditory directional cues.

Comments

Poster presented at the 18th Annual Auditory Perception, Cognition, and Action Meeting. New Orleans, LA. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.10446.10569

See the Koch Cognition Lab for related research.

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