Temporal dynamics of associative interference and facilitation produced by visual context

Abstract

Temporal dynamics of associative interference and facilitation have been investigated in a reaction time (RT) task in which a target letter is flanked by noise letters. When response-incompatible noise letters precede the target by stimulus onset asynchronies (SOAs) from 0 to 250 msec, associative interference, indicated by average RT, increases to a maximum at 50 and 100 msec and decreases substantially at 250 msec. Noise letters identical to the target do not produce facilitation with 0 SOA but do so when they precede the target by as little as 50 msec. Maximum facilitation is obtained with 100- and 250- msec SOAs. Temporal dynamics within the trial were inferred from scaling analyses of the RT distributions. The time course of associative interference is nonmonotonic, with the maximum occurring earlier as SOA increases. This confirms a prediction of continuous growth strength theory. Facilitation is primarily a short-latency effect, beginning earlier as SOA increases. At 0 SOA, there is evidence that an identical noise letter produces distraction as compared with a no-noise condition. © 1984 Psychonomic Society, Inc.