Abstract According to ideomotor theory, we select actions by recalling and anticipating their sensory consequences, that is, their action effects. Compelling evidence for this theory comes from response–effect compatibility (REC) experiments, in which a response produces an effect with which it is either compatible or incompatible. For example, pressing a left/right response key is faster if it is predictably followed by an action effect on the same, compatible side compared with the other, incompatible side, even though the effect itself appears only after response time is measured. Recent studies investigated this effect with continuous responses (i.e., computer mouse movements) and reported an REC effect in a forced-choice but not in a free-choice task. From the keypressing literature, the opposite result pattern or no differences would have been expected. To clarify this issue, we report 3 experiments with mouse movement responses. Experiment 1 used a simpler scenario than in prior studies and found a similar result: The REC effect was evident in a forced- but not in a free-choice task. Also, sequential modulations of the REC effect were exploratorily analyzed and replicated with higher power in Experiment 2. However, Experiment 3 demonstrated that at least part of the REC effect with mouse movements can be attributed to stimulus–response compatibility (SRC), with a much smaller compatibility effect evident with a procedure for which SRC was reduced. We conclude that a sequentially modulated compatibility effect can be observed with mouse movements, but previous studies may have underestimated the contribution from SRC. The results are also discussed in terms of why the compatibility effect was observed in forced- but not free-choice tasks with mouse movement responses.

中文翻译：

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使用连续鼠标移动检查响应效应兼容性任务：自由与强制选择任务和顺序调制

摘要 根据意念运动理论，我们通过回忆和预测动作的感官后果，即动作效果来选择动作。该理论的有力证据来自反应-效果相容性 (REC) 实验，其中反应产生与其兼容或不兼容的效果。例如，如果按下左/右响应键后可预测地在相同的、兼容的一侧与不兼容的另一侧相比出现动作效果，即使效果本身仅在测量响应时间后才出现。最近的研究通过连续响应（即计算机鼠标移动）调查了这种效应，并报告了在强制选择中的 REC 效应，但在自由选择任务中没有。从按键文献中，预期会出现相反的结果模式或没有差异。为了澄清这个问题，我们报告了 3 个关于鼠标移动响应的实验。实验 1 使用了比先前研究更简单的场景，并发现了类似的结果：REC 效应在强制选择任务中很明显，但在自由选择任务中不明显。此外，在实验 2 中，对 REC 效应的顺序调制进行了探索性分析和更高功率的复制。然而，实验 3 表明，至少部分 REC 效应与鼠标移动可归因于刺激 - 反应相容性 (SRC)，具有对于减少 SRC 的程序，兼容性效果明显要小得多。我们得出结论，可以通过鼠标移动观察到顺序调制的兼容性效应，但以前的研究可能低估了 SRC 的贡献。